Residents in fear after home attack
RESIDENTS were left living in fear after a 23 year old Drogheda man went on the rampage and took part in an attack on two houses, the Circuit Court sitting in Dundalk heard last week.
Dean McKenna Limetree Avenue, Termon Abbey, Drogheda pleaded guilty to a number of charges arising out of the incidents which saw petrol bombs being thrown and a car driven at a house, while golf clubs and a garden bench were used to smash windows in another.
Describing his actions as ‘outrageous behaviour’, Judge Michael O’Shea sentenced him to three and a half years in jail, back dated from October 11th 2017, with the last 18 months suspended.
Evidence was given that McKenna and a co-accused were among a group who launched an attack on a house at Beechwood Drive on New Year’s Eve, 2017.
A car belonging to one of the occupants was parked outside and they smashed the windows of it with iron bars, before attacking the house, smashing windows with bricks and a crow bar.
When one of the men in the house tried to get out the door, he was met by waving iron bars and bricks being being thrown at the house.
A week later, on January 8th 2017, the occupants were in the sitting room watching television at 3am when they saw the lights outside and saw the co-accused getting out of a car. The car then sped up and hit the front door and McKenna and his accomplice ran away. The car which had been used to crash into the door had been stolen.
McKenna, the co-accused and another person returned to the house at 5.30am and started throwing ignited petrol bombs at the house. One of the petrol bombs came in through the door and the clothing of one of the men inside caught fire as he was attempting to stamp out the flames in the hallway.
About two hours later, McKenna was one of two men who attacked a house at Beechwood Avenue, Marley’s Lane. They forced their way into the house and smashed the window. When the householder tried to get to stop them from getting in, he was knocked out of the way, cutting his elbow. After a struggle, the two men left but returned and smashed the back kitchen window with a garden window.
They came back again and this time McKenna had a golf club and a knife like object in his other hand.
The gardai arrived and the men ran off but were later arrested.
Dt Sgt Peter Cooney said that the two houses were about 200 metres apart and described the morning of January 8th as ‘a rampage’. He said a total of €3,300 damage had been caused to the first house with the repairs being carried out by the council. The car which had been parked outside was written off. Damage amounting to €1,589 was caused to the second house.
He said that one of the men who had been in the first house was left living in fear and is very nervous about living in Drogheda and had moved to a homeless shelter. The other man didn’t wish to make any comment but his mother, who had moved out of the house before the petrol bombing said she was still in fear.
The couple living in the other house were still living in fear and had got an alarmed installed.
The court heard that McKenna had 11 previous convictions.
His barrister told the court that his client was currently in custody where he had ‘enhanced prisoner status’ and had displayed a substantial interest in trying to make a change in his life, completing a number of courses, and is in the drug treatment under the care of the addiction team.
He was oldest of two children and had done well at school and had played soccer and rugby. He moved to Leeds where he lived with an uncle and got a job in direct sales, being promoted as team leader.
When he returned to Ireland, he went to live with his father who had custody after his parent’s separated. He began experimenting with various drugs and was virtually homeless when got involved in these crimes without any significant purpose. He was taking the anti-depressant Xanax at the time.
Imposing sentence, Judge O’Shea described his actions as ‘ outrageous behaviour’ which was intentional in the damage caused to the properties and cars.