Terrifying night two ‘crazy’ men burst into home carrying knives

FIVE VICTIMS of a frenzied attack during which knives were brandished spoke of their terror at the hands of two “crazy” Sligo men at the circuit court. They had been told that they “would be killed” if they phoned the gardaí. Twenty-four-year-old John McDonagh, Brookfield, Ballinode, and 18-year-old Kailem Sweeney, Garavogue Villas, stormed into the home of Ellie Hurd in Glencarraig shortly before 5am on the morning of January 18 last year.

McDonagh, who has 35 previous convictions, was armed with a knife with a long blade. Sweeney had a Stanley knife.

They pushed the door in, knocking Ms Hurd to the ground and terrorised three of her friends who had been sleeping in the house, holding a knife to one of their throats, the court heard. The intruders stole cash from a wallet and cut it to shreds.

They ran amok, slashing mattresses, kicking doors and smashing holes in walls. John McDonagh stabbed the screen of the TV, causing it to smash. The court was told the intruders trashed the place.

And McDonagh also went to a neigbouring house, where Callum Lenehan lived, and robbed this fifth victim of some valuables on the evening of January 18.

John McDonagh pleaded guilty to two counts of aggravated burglary and burglary, while Kailem Sweeney pleaded guilty to a charge of aggravated burglary

Related charges of threats to kill, unauthorised taking of a vehicle and criminal damage were all taken into account.

Outlining the evidence, State prosecutor Leo Mulrooney, instructed by Sligo State solicitor Elisa McHugh, said both defendants had pleaded guilty to the sample charges.

In a statement read out in court by Mr Mulrooney, Ms Hurd, who was 20 at the time of the incident, said she had invited three friends, Niall O’Dowd, Dylan Henry and Conor McManus, back to her home after they had been out socialising.

It was around 2.30am and she then went to party in Calum Lenehan’s home in Brookfield a few doors away but came home as she “had a bad vibe”. The victim came back to her home between 4.30 and 5am, the court heard. By this stage Dylan Henry was upstairs asleep, and Niall O’Dowd and Conor McManus were asleep on couches downstairs.

She first heard a knocking and then realised that it was the front door opening.

Two men pushed the door in, and she tried to push them back, but they drove the door against her, hitting her. She fell back on the floor.

The door was unlocked but they had entered the house as trespassers and she identified the men as John McDonagh and Kailem Sweeney, who were brothers-in-law, as she had lived near McDonagh in the past and Sweeney would visit him.

McDonagh went straight up the stairs to the room where Dylan Henry was, and Sweeney went to the sitting room. She asked them to stop but they told her to “shut up” and told her that if she rang the gardaí, they would do what happened to “that lad in Cork”.

It was explained to the court that this referred to a tragic incident in Cork two days previously where a young student had been killed by intruders with knife at a house party.

The victim’s statement added that she was petrified and “really scared that she was going to be killed by these people”.

Dylan Henry came out of the bedroom upstairs and said he was “woken up with a knife to his throat” and that cash had been taken out of his wallet. Both McDonagh and Sweeney were waving knives at the victims.

John McDonagh ordered everyone outside, and he stabbed the screen of the TV, causing it to shatter, and he also took Ms Hurd’s kettle.

He had picked up a set of car keys belonging to her friend James Rooney, who had left the keys at her house. Ms Hurd could not stop crying and McDonagh pushed her to the ground again and pointed the knife at her face telling her to shut up and warned all four victims not to call the gardaí or they “would be dead”.

McDonagh then got into the car, drove off very fast and skidded sideways across the road and parked the car very close to the house in an action that went on for five minutes.

He then smashed every window in the car using the kettle.

McDonagh and Sweeney then slashed the tyres of the car.

Ms Hurd said she knew McDonagh as he and his wife had lived close to her for three months and she knew Sweeney by sight.

In a similar statement, Dylan Henry, 23, told the court he woke up to see two “guys” in the room, armed with knives. One had a “large kitchen knife” and the other “had a Stanley knife”. They were asking him where his wallet was. When he told them that it might be in his gear bag, Sweeney sat on the bed brandishing his knife, while McDonagh went through the bags.

McDonagh found the wallet and took cash and a bottle of whiskey from the bag and Ms Hurd came into the room and was crying.

The two intruders then ordered everyone out of the house.

The entire incident lasted between 10 and 20 minutes, the court heard.

In a statement, Conor McManus, 21, said that he and Niall O’Dowd had been asleep on two couches.

He woke up and learned that there were men in the house with knives. He was ordered out of the house by Sweeney. Outside, a car was being smashed up.

Niall O’Dowd, 24, said in his statement that he had been asleep and woke up to all this commotion and noticed that his wallet had been emptied and slashed into pieces.

He saw the car being revved like crazy and watched while the car was trashed.

The court heard that all four victims were either robbed or threatened by McDonagh and Sweeney.

In a statement, James Rooney, 25, said he had a similar evening to the others and went to a party in Brookfield, Ballinode, but left early and was hoping to get into Ms Hurd’s house, but the door was locked, and he heard the next day what happened and that the car, which was his mother’s, had been stolen.

In another statement, Callum Lenehan, 19, of Brookfield, Ballinode, said he had moved into the house a week previously.

There was a party in his house the night before and Ms Hurd had been at it. It had passed off without incident. It was about 12 hours after the burglary and he was sitting alone in his house about 5.55pm when John McDonagh opened the unlocked door and walked in uninvited.

He told the victim that he “was taking your stuff”.

Calum Lenehan said he recognised McDonagh from house parties that a person he knew had hosted. McDonagh started to unplug the PlayStation.

Calum Lenehan began pleading with McDonagh and asked him to “talk about it”.

McDonagh said he had heard that Calum Lenehan had been blaming McDonagh for taking his keys.

Calum Lenehan’s keys had been stolen at a party where McDonagh was present.

McDonagh also took the 32-inch TV and a game for a Nintendo Switch and threatened his victim that if he called the gardaí he “would kill him”. McDonagh then shouted: “Where is the f ****** console?” He threatened to hit Mr Lenehan, who gave it to him. McDonagh then walked towards his own home in Brookfield, which was about 30 yards away. Ms Hurd’s house was about 200 metres distant.

The TV was worth €500, the PlayStation €250 and the Nintendo Switch €600. This witness then made plans to leave his home as he was “afraid of Mr McDonagh and still is”.

McDonagh was later arrested and questioned by gardaí about the incidents.

Sweeney came to Ballymote Garda Station by appointment to be questioned about the matters.

It took three months because a number of appointments made for Sweeney, who was 17 at the time, were not kept. At one stage he told gardaí he had Covid symptoms, which delayed his arrest.

Mr Mulrooney added that at interview John McDonagh answered some questions that were of limited evidential value and did not make any admissions.

He said he was at home but admitted that he had been in Mr Lenehan’s house, for five minutes, thus placing himself in the house that had been robbed.

He denied making threats and robbing Mr Lenehan but accepted that he may have ended up in Ms Hurd’s house that night before, but not that morning. He said he was only there for a while because he was not enjoying himself. McDonagh denied the incident with the car had taken place.

At interview with the then 17-yearold Kailem Sweeney, which took place in the presence of an adult, Sweeney could not recall January 18 because it was “so long ago”.

He confirmed that his sister Sabrina was married to McDonagh and they were brothers-in-law.

When Ms Hurd’s statement was read out to him, he denied being in the house.

Both Ms Hurd and Mr Lenehan were aware of the court sitting but neither wanted to be present, although Ms Hurd’s mother was present.

In a victim impact statement, Ms Hurd said Janaury 18 was a day she would never forget. And, she said, “what they have done” will never go away and “I will always live in fear”. Her depression and anxiety had gone to whole new levels and she was not able to do anything.

In the statement, she said: “I am constantly looking behind my back.”

She was not sleeping, was weeping and was missing work. She added that she was constantly fearful and missed going to town. “They have crippled my life with fear,” the statement said.

In a victim impact statement, Calum Lenehan said he was sitting at home when John McDonagh was robbing him.

When he asked him why, the latter shouted that if he called the gardaí then McDonagh said he “would come back and kill me”.

“To this day I am afraid to leave the house,” he said in his statement.

The value of the stolen goods from his home came to €1,500.

His head has never been right since and he can’t “get it out of my head”. The court heard that John McDonagh had 35 previous convictions dating back to 2013.

These included nine for public order, drugs, criminal damage, theft and trespass.

Before committing these offences, he been on bail for other matters.

The court heard that a bail application was rejected in the district court, where the five current victims gave evidence and were cross-examined and bail was denied.

It was a similar outcome when he made a similar application in the High Court and the five witnesses travelled to Dublin to give evidence against him. He was in custody since last January. Sligo Circuit Court was told that when he committed these offences McDonagh was on bail for nine other alleged offences, including assault causing harm and having drugs for sale or supply.

The defendant has been in custody since January 2020.

The court heard that Kailem Sweeney had no previous convictions, was 17 at the time of the offences and was on bail before the court.

McDonagh’s defence counsel Des Dockery, instructed by McGovern Walsh solicitors, said Ms Hurd was not on her own as there were three others in the house.

McDonagh and Sweeney behaved in a crazy manner and all they got was petty cash and two mobile phones.

When McDonagh told Ms Hurd that she could suffer the same fate as the young fellow in Cork, she did not know what he was referring to at the time. McDonagh had no particular memory of either of the incidents before the court.

A garda told the court that all of the victims were decent and respectable young people and had no connection with any wrong-doing

Mr Dockery said it was clear to Mr Lenehan that McDonagh was high on something.

Neither of the two knives were recovered, there was no forensic evidence and if it had gone to trial, evidence from the injured parties would be cross-examined, but for McDonagh’s admissions.

Of the 35 previous convictions, some of them were on the same dates.

None of them were for aggravated burglary.

This was the first time his client had been before the circuit court and was in custody since January 2020.

Colm Smyth, defence counsel for Kailem Sweeney, instructed by McGovern Walsh solicitors, said his client was 17 at the time of the offences.

Ms Hurd had referred to both defendants being mad and crazy on the night, Mr Smith pointed out.

Sweeney told the probation officer that his actions were clouded due to his level of intoxication from alcohol and drugs.

Mr Smyth said that Gerry Farry, a member of St Anne’s parish council, had a statement that Sweeney had come under the influence of others who led him down the wrong road and he found himself in drug and alcohol abuse.

Sweeney had pleaded guilty at an early stage and had honoured his bail terms.

In a plea of mitigation for John McDonagh, Mr Dockery said the three people in the house did not suffer any injuries.

There was no evidence of any pre-meditation and both men were intoxicated and had no coherent plan. The house was not in an isolated rural area and Ms Hurd was not alone in the house.

A small amount of cash, two mobile phones, a PlayStation and a Nintendo set were taken and were not individually of a high value.

It was in the middle range of sentencing in these matters.

The court heard earlier that the maximum sentence was 14 years in jail. The more “egregious” facts were not present, he said, and that “was no credit to my client”.

A guilty plea was entered in November during Level 5 and it had a value as otherwise the witnesses would be cross-examined at a trial.

Half of McDonagh’s previous convictions were for road traffic matters or public order offences.

McDonagh’s memory of the incidents was very blurry due to a cocktail of drugs, specifically cocaine, which continued into the next day.

This was his first time to be referred to the Probation Service and his first time in jail.

McDonagh was embarrassed and ashamed, had genuine remorse and sorrow for his behaviour and the Probation Service accepts this.

He had underlying instability in the sad circumstances in which he was raised and difficulties and challenging hurdles he had to contend with from a very young age in life.

McDonagh came from Tralee in Co. Kerry and was married in Sligo. According to the probation report, he expressed a very impressive insight into his addiction to drugs and alcohol he was determined to pursue a path to rehabilitation.

He had also to contend with significant mental health issues and has tried to take his own life.

There was also an incident where his wife was attacked which had profound consequences.

The defendant had done very well in jail, was a cleaner on the governor’s

landing, was attending school, was using his time productively and was not a problem for the prison management. Rehabilitation was a possibility, and the report asks the court for certain conditions if he were to be released. A letter read out on McDonagh’s behalf in court said he wanted to express his deepest sorrow for the hurt and pain he had caused.

He was not a bad person but had a hard life and there were other people using him for their own ends.

He was robbing and stealing and then he met his wife, who was a very good influence on him.

But there was an incident in which his wife was attacked and “it changed me”.

She was taken to hospital and he started drinking and taking drugs and was in a bad place and tried to end it all on a few occasions. He did not know how to cry out for help.

But he missed his wife and two children and would not be alive today but for her. He had turned a new page in jail, his attitude had changed and he had learned a lot .

He said: “If you give me a chance, I will become a better person in society.” Mr Dockery said there was a certain naivety in the letter.

There was also a letter from a social worker which stated that McDonagh’s two children Rose, 6, and John, 3, were much loved and cared for by their father. He attended all meetings on their behalf and was determined to give them every chance in life. He was missing his family while in jail. Mr Dockery said the defendant was intelligent and was capable of rehabilitation and committed these offences when he was “drugged to the gills on drugs and alcohol”.

He had gone down a “rabbit hole of darkness” and hopelessness from a dark upbringing.

He said: “This could be a turning point for him.”

Judge Francis Comerford said there will have to be a “substantial sentence” for this offence.

He said he would take other factors into account, but these were “very serious crimes.”

The defendant was remanded in custody and the case was adjourned for sentence at 2pm on March 8. Meanwhile, co-accused Kailem Sweeney read out a letter of apology in the witness box. He said he was very sorry for the people he hurt and thinks about it every day. He was embarrassed, and drugs and alcohol had taken over his life.

He said he was lucky that Social Ground Force was helping him, and he was attending AA and NA meetings which was helping him to get off alcohol and drugs.

They were like another family for him and were giving him good guidance. His defence counsel Mr Smyth said this defendant was one of a family of 10 and was the fourth youngest.

The offences happened when he was 17 years and four months old.

He had no real memory of what happened as he was on alcohol, cocaine and ecstasy.

He agreed that it was terrifying experience for his victims to be confronted with two men armed with knives.

Up to this he had never been in trouble before. By the age of 14 or 15 he got hooked on Valium, weed and cocaine and was introduced to the drugs by “one of his friends”.

Mr Smyth said this was a class A incident, and the defendant went right in and it was a very serious offence.

The defendant had a testimonial from Gerry Farry of St Anne’s parish council that stated that he had known Sweeney since he was six and had been a settled young lad, a good boxer in the Innisfree Boxing Club who also trained younger children.

Sadly, he came under the influence of other people and was led down the wrong road and found himself abusing drugs and alcohol.

He was with his brother-in-law, who was seven years older than him A reference from a boxing coach, Mr Myers, said Sweeney joined the club in 2009 when he was seven years of age and was very interested until he stopped at 15. Mr Myers found him to be a good-hearted young man, very talented and mannerly, and who did a lot of work with younger children.

The defendant had been engaging with Narcotics Anonymous since the end of last year.

He was attending regular meetings and also met with Aubrey Melville of Social Ground Force, a group which works with those with addictions and thoughts of self-harm.

The defendant was off drink and drugs and intended to keep it that way, the court heard.

The defendant told the court, that if given any kind of chance he would take advantage of it and would keep going to meetings even after serving a period in jail.

He was currently living with and was a carer for his 69-year-old granny, who was aware of his present “difficulties”. The defendant was assessed as being at a moderate level of re-offending. Mr Melville of Social Ground Force told the court he met Kailem last November.

Mr Melville said: “He was led down a path and is a follower, not a leader.” Sweeney had “done a great job” even at the height of the Covid pandemic and had distanced himself from his old company. He had now learned to say no to people and this was a massive step, the court heard.

And a prison sentence would have an adverse impact on his recovery. “Prison is a university of crime,” Mr Melville claimed. “Prison would set him back rather than forward.” He added that if given a chance, “we could succeed with him”, and that if a prison sentence were left hanging over him it would give him an incentive to recover fully.

He said: “If you keep him in ignorance, he will be a burden on society.” In summing up, defence counsel Colm Smyth said this was an appalling offence and an intrusion on people’s privacy in their home using threats with knives and violence, and nothing he could say can in any way mitigate the appalling nature of the offence.

But the defendant was just over 17, had no previous convictions, had a good record, had been a boxer until he was 15. He fell by the wayside through older people than him and they got him addicted to drugs and drink and these people were a bad influence as admitted by the reports in court and by Mr Farry and Mr Melville.

The defendant was a child and “vulnerable”. He was dyslexic but wrote the letter himself from the heart and was very ashamed.

Mr Smyth said Mr Melville’s testimony about this young man was “compelling” and believed that Sweeney was “genuine”.

Sweeney had now said no to people who had previously led him down the path of crime.

Mr Smyth said there was every hope that given a chance he could be a very valuable citizen in society and emulate the good work done by Mr Melville. He said: “If given a chance he will take it.”

Mr Smyth said that a suspended prison sentence would give his client some hope. And it was quite clear that Sweeney was set and led by John McDonagh. Mr Smyth asked the court “not to make it an immediate custodial sentence”.

Judge Francis Comerford said that even though this was a first-time offence it was so serious, that by its nature it calls out strongly for a jail sentence.

But the judge said he would adjourn the case for sentencing until March 8 as the court had much to think about. The defendant was released on bail, but he was not to draw any inferences from that in either direction.