And daughter jailed for shooting baby in the legs
Tot blasted during dispute between families at halting site
A FATHER and daughter who blasted a six-month-old baby in the legs have been jailed for five years.
Charlene and Dan Donovan both pleaded guilty to possessing a shotgun with intent to endanger life and to recklessly discharging a firearm.
The horrific incident happened during an incident at a halting site on Parslickstown Gardens, Mulhuddart, West Dublin, on December 12 of last year.
Dan Donovan, 49, also pleaded guilty at the Circuit Criminal Court to threatening to kill or cause serious harm to Michael Collins on the same date.
Det Gda Michael Parry Jones told the court Charlene Donovan, 23, had fired the first shot across the road.
The blast injured a 17-year-old, the baby in his arms and the infant’s mother. The court heard the injured parties were about four metres away.
Dan Donovan, formerly of Parslickstown Gardens, then took the gun from his daughter, threatened to “bury” Mr Collins and accidentally discharged the firearm into the ground by his feet. The incident happened during a vicious dispute between two families. Det Gda Parry Jones said he arrived on the scene to see two uniformed colleagues trying to separate the two families.
He said the 17-year-old was in one house with his T-shirt pulled up and puncture wounds on his abdomen.
The detective told prosecutor John Berry he later found out the baby had been taken to hospital and had surgery to remove shotgun pellets from his legs.
He said the baby is awaiting further surgery to have the five remaining removed.
In victim impact reports handed in to court, the child’s mother said her child can walk but is in constant pain.
She said he sometimes wakes up with the pain and she has to massage his feet.
The woman said she has limited movement in her wrist from where a shotgun pellet lodged in her bone.
She also received a hip injury and described how she has been depressed since the incident. Judge Martin Nolan noted that the baby would have ongoing difficulties with his injuries.
He commented “whatever about the adults, this child was completely blameless”.
Det Gda Parry Jones told Mr Berry he arrested Dan Donovan at the scene when a sawn-off shotgun was found concealed under debris at the back of his then house.
Witnesses to the incident described how there had been a feud between the families, before Charlene Donovan, formerly of Parslickstown Gardens and with an address in Dundalk, Co Louth, was heard saying: “Daddy, take the gun, take the gun.”
The court heard shots were fired through the Donovans’ kitchen window.
He accepted two men from the rival family were physically imposing, violent and intimidating.
Charlene Donovan has no record of offending, while her father has previous
DUBLIN YESTERDAY
convictions for minor road traffic matters. Jailing both, Judge Nolan said there was a history of dispute between the Donovans and the Collins and that both groups had decided to take the law into their own hands.
He said he accepted the accused were in fear on the day. He said he was sympathetic to Charlene Donovan but she had shot somebody.
On hearing the sentence she broke down in tears and was held tightly by her father. Supporters of the family became upset in court but left quickly afterwards.
Judge Nolan commented it was “fortunate for everybody that the bulk of the pellets went somewhere else”.
He said he knew from experience “if the middle [of the pellet spray] had hit, you wouldn’t be in this court”.
The judge added he accepted Dan Donovan produced the shotgun out of fear during an “overwrought” situation.
He said he had no doubt Charlene Donovan had considerable intellectual difficulties, but added he was satisfied she knew the consequences of her actions.
Whatever about the adults, this child was completely innocent JUDGE MARTIN NOLAN