A man has been sentenced to three and a half years in prison for assaulting and attempting to suffocate his partner’s elderly mother at a nursing home earlier this year, reports RTE.
Peter Keaney, 55, residing at Hillside Close, Monksland, Athlone, Co Roscommon, pleaded guilty to causing harm through assault and attempting to suffocate the woman at Sonas Nursing Home in Athlone last April.
The Mullingar Circuit Court was informed that Keaney had been consuming alcohol excessively on the day of the incident. He drank four bottles of wine and arrived at the nursing home at approximately 8 pm on the evening of April 29, reports RTE.
The court heard that the 85-year-old victim was attacked as she attempted to greet Peter Keaney with a hug, but instead, he struck her in the face with his fist and continued to hit her.
He then punched her into a chair beside her bed, stating, “you will live to regret it,” before covering her face with a pillow.
The court was told that the woman fell to the floor, where Keaney kicked her repeatedly in the head, reports RTE.
Care workers outside the room heard screams, and Keaney yelled at the woman to die.
Staff forced their way through the obstructed door and discovered the woman lying face down on the floor.
She had sustained multiple injuries, and there were large amounts of blood on the floor, reports RTE.
The court noted that Keaney then went over to the bed, sat on it, and waited for the Gardaà to arrive and take him into custody.
“I did it, I tried to kill her,” he confessed to the Gardaà at the scene, reports RTE.
The court heard that the victim required nine stitches on her head, in addition to having bruises and a painful back from being knelt on while struggling with the pillow over her face, which the elderly woman described as “horrible.”
She did not attend the hearing or submit a victim impact statement.
During the proceedings, the Mullingar Circuit Court learned that while being transported to Athlone Garda Station, Keaney expressed his desire to kill the woman, reports RTE.
Detective Garda Kevin Nerney relayed to the court that Keaney also disclosed to detectives that he had experienced sexual abuse during his childhood and had undergone eight years of counseling.
The court was informed that Keaney stated he was driven to commit the attack due to a false belief that his partner’s mother had facilitated the abuse of his partner, reports RTE.
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