A MAN WHO demanded money from a father for his son’s “drug debt” has been given a one year jail term.
Daniel Malone (21) of Clifden Road, Ballyfermot, Dublin pleaded not guilty at the Circuit Criminal Court to demanding money with menaces from John Kennedy at Robin Villas, Palmerstown on 27 July 2013. He was found guilty following a three day trial in June this year.
He also pleaded not guilty to assault causing harm to Mr Kennedy on the same occasion and was acquitted by direction of the trial judge.
His accomplice Wayne Donnelly (28) of Oakcourt Lawn, Palmerstown, Dublin 20 pleaded guilty to assaulting Mr Kennedy. He was jailed for two years last November by Judge Desmond Hogan, who described the pair as ‘bully boys’.
Detective Garda Padraig Jennings told Garret Baker BL, prosecuting, that the two men came to Mr Kennedy’s door in Palmerstown and told him his son owed money to an individual who had just come out of prison. Donnelly told the man that two grenades would be put in his house before punching him in the face.
The man fell to the ground and Donnelly kicked him in the stomach and head. After Malone pulled Donnelly off, Donnelly smashed the man’s car window with a flower pot before leaving. Gardaí arrested the two men as they tried to flee.
In a victim impact statement, Mr Kennedy said Malone, whom he knew as a friend of his son’s, “was only there out of fear of the other person” and that he would not like for him to get jail time.
Malone, who has five previous convictions, is currently serving a three year jail term for an attack in which he and a different accomplice robbed a taxi driver, tied him up and left him in a ditch.
James Dwyer BL defending told Judge Sarah Berkeley that Malone was taking steps to turn his life around after falling into criminality during a difficult period in his life when he became dependent on drugs and his father suddenly died.
Mr Dwyer said Malone was now drug free and was aiming to get a place in a prison training unit. He asked Judge Berkeley not to extend his period of imprisonment.
Judge Berkeley suspended the final twelve months of a two year sentence to run consecutively to the term Malone is currently serving.
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