A 22-yr-old man has received a prison sentence of 15 and a half years for the attempted murder of his former partner, whom he stabbed more than 50 times in what was called a brutal, unjustified, and unprovoked assault.
Josh O’Brien attacked Niamh Kelly on a Dublin street in September 2024, leaving her with permanent injuries after the six-minute-long ordeal, reports RTE.
Niamh Kelly, now 21, endured seven months in hospital while recovering from the incident. She suffered multiple facial and skull fractures, lasting damage to one eye, and a severed section of her spinal cord, resulting in paralysis in her left leg.
The assault also caused significant injuries to her hands, requiring extensive therapy so she could regain basic function, reports RTE.
During sentencing, Ms Justice Mary Ellen Ring remarked, “To have suffered the 50 stab wounds and survived is nothing short of miraculous.”
However, she noted that although Ms Kelly lived through the assault, her life has changed entirely and she now faces serious physical and emotional limitations no one should have to endure, reports RTE.
She added, “Domestic relationships should be based on love, respect and trust, not manipulation, abuse and violence,” reports RTE.
Ms Justice Ring stated that although the starting point for sentencing was 19 years, she had considered several mitigating factors such as O’Brien’s mental health. As a result, she imposed a 15 and a half year sentence, suspending the final 18 months, reports RTE.
O’Brien and Ms Kelly had been in a relationship for over a year and shared a child, though they had since separated.
He expressed to gardaà that he wanted to reconcile and felt “betrayed” and disrespected when that did not happen, reports RTE.
On 19 September, while walking Ms Kelly to her home, O’Brien began hitting and kicking her before shoving her to the ground.
He then pulled out a knife and inflicted 50 stab wounds across her body over several minutes, even attempting to stomp on her head. Security personnel in the area intervened, prompting O’Brien to flee the scene, reports RTE.
The court was told that a small piece of the knife blade remains lodged in Ms Kelly’s skull, as doctors concluded removing it would be too risky.
In her victim impact statement, Ms Kelly said that her life “changed forever both physically and mentally”, reports RTE.
She shared that she has experienced sleep difficulties since the attack, requiring medication, but she still suffers from recurring flashbacks.
Outside court today, Ms Kelly told reporters: “I am glad he isn’t walking away and hopefully this won’t happen to any other girl my age,” reports RTE.
She revealed that, at one point, she believed she would never be able to walk again after the violent attack, reports RTE.
“When the doctors were saying to me about not walking again, that’s when I thought my whole life was over, especially at a young age because there is still so much more I want to do with my life,” she said.
Ms Kelly explained that she is continuing physiotherapy and additional rehabilitation and now doesn’t always need to use a wheelchair, reports RTE.
She said her young son is “keeping me going, I’m trying to get stronger for him”, reports RTE.
Earlier during the sentencing process, defence barrister Michael O’Higgins SC told the court that his client wanted to apologise to Ms Kelly for having “done something terrible”, reports RTE.
The defence acknowledged that the incident was a “ferocious, unwarranted, unjustified and unprovoked attack” which occurred during a moment of rage “driven by overwhelming jealousy”.
O’Higgins also said that while O’Brien “loved her very much”, he was “not equipped to make a go of that relationship” due to immaturity and possessiveness, reports RTE.
He concluded that O’Brien is filled with remorse and fully accepts responsibility for his actions, reports RTE.
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