Girl fought to save her boyfriend from manic knifeman
Court told of attack in the woods
A TEENAGE girl bravely fought to stop a crazed knifeman stabbing her boyfriend to death, a court heard yesterday.
Paranoid schizophrenic Michael Corbett, 28, launched a savage attack after meeting a group of friends camping in the Hellfire Club in the Dublin mountains, where he was living rough.
He approached the two boys and girl – who cannot be named – as they set up a camp fire on June 27, 2016.
After sitting with them for a while he grabbed their knife and followed a 17-year-old boy as he went to get firewood. He grabbed the teen from behind, covering his face with a hand, then slashed at his throat three times.
Corbett stabbed him in the chest so hard the blade snapped and lodged in the victim’s body. Then he hit him with a branch and stamped on his head.
The girl and an 18-yearold male pal fought to pull him away and she stood between Corbett and her boyfriend in a desperate attempt to protect him.
Corbett ran off into the woods but was later arrested. Medics saved the victim’s life by removing the remains of the blade and treating him for cuts to his neck and head. The other two teenagers were also treated for their injuries.
A sentencing hearing at Dublin Central Criminal Court heard Corbett told gardai he felt a “weird vibe” from the teens and thought they were talking in code.
He said he “got a weird vibe off the leader” and attacked him after following him in the woods.
Gardai learned Corbett, of Raheny, North Dublin, was a paranoid schizophrenic and had been receiving treatment for his condition. In victim impact statements the teens said they all suffered mental trauma. Two were diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder.
The girl said: “I have got night terrors and could not sleep. I have gone to numerous counsellors since this incident and I have stopped eating and I have become completely and utterly paranoid in every situation including with friends and family.
“Before this incident I was confident in every situation and I wasn’t afraid of new environments. Since this incident I have lost a series of jobs because I can’t cope or interact with people.
“I have lost a series of partners that came into my life and have lost long term friendships because I feel under pressure to socialise.”
She said she lost her dream job as a veterinary assistant and suffered self harm.
The victim who was stabbed also spoke of his turmoil. He said: “Since the incident I have become more distrusting of strangers. I sometimes have difficulty communicating with new people even in a safer environment. I have difficulty around others. I have increased anxiety and before I was not a very anxious person at all. This incident took place at a time when my girlfriend and I were having difficulty in our relationship.
“I have become a lot more emotional since the incident and I have experienced vivid flashbacks to the incident.”
Corbett, who was charged with attempted murder of one of the teens, pleaded guity at an earlier hearing. He will be sentenced on July 16. Michael Corbett