A man who stole a handbag from a woman who was walking her dog during a “a horrible attack in broad daylight” has been convicted, reports Breaking News.
Shane O’Connor (41), of Cabra Park, Dublin 7, pleaded guilty to robbery at Dublin County Court on 20 August 2022 in St Peter’s Lane, Cabra.
In imposing the sentence, Judge Crowe said it was “horrible attack in broad daylight on a woman walking her dog”, showing “lack of human concern”, reports Breaking News.
Garda Fintan Condon told Fiona Crawford BL that the victim left the house around 2:00 pm that day.
Walking St. Peter’s Lane, he felt someone following him and turned around. Behind him he saw a man in a baseball cap and a hooded sweatshirt. The man also had a tattoo on the left side of his neck.
The victim said, “What do you want?” to a man who was later identified on CCTV as O’Connor. He began to slung the bag over her shoulder and tugged hard three times. He broke the strap and took the bag.
The applicant ran after O’Connor screaming and hit him with the leash. Some members of the public followed him after hearing her words. O’Connor ran to a nearby alley where several people caught up with him.
They asked O’Connor to hand over the bag and said they would let him go. O’Connor extended his hand, which was covered in blood, to a member of the audience and said, “Do you want any of this on you”, causing the man to fear that he might have contracted the disease, reports Breaking News.
O’Connor returned the complainant’s bloody bag and phone. In addition to the woman’s wallet, other items were found in the area, including her Polish driving license and identity documents.
Gardaí searched O’Connor’s home on August 26, when similar clothing was recovered. He was questioned, but nothing of probative value was found. Blood analysis on the bag matches O’Connor.
Ms. Crawford read a victim impact statement to the court. The victim told about the impact of the attack on her and her family.
She said walking the dog used to be a “pleasure” but since the incident has become a “chore”. The woman said she had to go to Poland to exchange documents.
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