A MAN HAS been jailed for six years for assaults on his 75-year-old neighbour in his home and on a 17-year-old female a year earlier.

During a roadside attack on the N11 in July 2018, Dean Quigley (23) punched a young woman to the face, pulled her hair and continued to punch her while she was on the ground.

The following year he twice broke into his neighbour’s apartment. During the second attack Quigley assaulted him, telling his victim he would return and kill him if he told anyone what had happened.

The man’s daughter found him when she visited five days later and he was brought to hospital where he remained for a number of weeks. He was treated for a bleed on the brain and this left him at an increased risk of stroke, ligature marks to his neck and severe bruising to his chest.

Quigley, of Temple Road, Blackrock, Dublin pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to assault causing harm to the woman at Stillorgan Road on 5 July 2018.

He also pleaded guilty to entering the 75-year-old man’s home as a trespasser and committing criminal damage on 7 July, 2019 and entering his home as a trespasser and assaulting him on 11 October 2019.

Judge Karen O’Connor imposed concurrent sentences of two years for the assault on the woman and two years for the July burglary. She imposed a consecutive sentence of six years for the second burglary and she suspended the final two years on condition that he engage with alcohol addiction treatment programmes.

The court heard that in July 2019 Quigley was drunk when he had kicked and hit the man’s door after being refused entry.The man left to tell a neighbour what had happened and Quigley entered his home through the open door, taking a knife from the man’s kitchen.

Gardaí were alerted and arrived to find Quigley in an intoxicated state.

In a statement the man said he felt Quigley must have been waiting for him the second time in October 2019 as he returned home from dinner with his daughter. He said Quigley pushed him inside, telling the man he had “put me in prison”.

He was punched by Quigley to the head, stomach and back and held in a headlock. The man said he thought he was going to die during the assault.

“I don’t think I will ever get over this,” said the man in his victim impact statement. “I will now be in fear forever. I don’t feel safe in my home.”

“I cannot express how much fear I was in,” said the man. He said he believed Quigley’s threat and really thought he would come back again.

He said he did not contact anyone and lay in bed until his daughter came five days later. He said he was in constant fear of something else happening and suffered with his nerves.

Quigley was on bail for the first burglary at the time of the second offence.

Detective Garda Robert Clifford told Garrett McCormack BL, prosecuting, that in the early hours of July 5, 2018 the woman had been walking along the N11 with Quigley.

She said they had an argument which turned physical and Quigley punched her a number of times in the face and pulled her hair. He dragged her to the ground where he continued to punch her.

In her victim impact statement, which was read to the court, the young woman recalled wishing for a passing car to stop and help. She said she never wanted to feel that helplessness and fear again.

She attended at a garda station in May 2019 to make a complaint and gave gardaí photographs of her injuries which included a black eye, hair pulled out and bruising around her neck.

Detective Garda Clifford said Quigley was charged, brought before the courts and pleaded guilty in early course.

The woman outlined in her victim impact statement that she had suffered a “huge decline” in her mental health as a result of the assault. She continues to suffer anxiety and fear.

Quigley has 14 previous convictions including possession of knives or articles and making a threat to kill or cause serious harm.

Detective Garda Clifford with agreed with Marc Murphy BL, defending, that when he was sober and not abusing substances, Quigley was quite civil.

He agreed that Quigley had gone to a garda station the day after he was interviewed and tried to make admissions but he was not in a fit state to be interviewed.

Murphy told Judge O’Connor that Quigley was using his time in custody quite positively. He said Quigley instructed he was now drug free and was reflecting on what the future may hold away from the cycle of drugs and antisocial behaviour.

He told the court that his client had made further progress in custody and asked the court to take into account the positive steps he has made in relation to his mental health and addiction issues

He said Quigley had written a letter to the young woman expressing remorse. He asked the court to take a “holistic approach” and leave him some light at the end of the tunnel.