Two men jailed over ‘thuggery’ which left woman (93) with life-changing injuries

Two men have been jailed for nine years for what a judge described as “a scarcely comprehensible act of thuggery” after they robbed a 93-year-old woman as she collected her pension and left her with life-changing injuries.

Damian Fitzgerald (35) from Inniscarra Road, Fair Hill, Cork, and Damian Long (32) from Ardbhaile, Mayfield, Cork, both pleaded guilty at Cork Circuit Criminal Court to the robbery of the pensioner at Charlemont Terrace, off Wellington Road, Cork on November 9th, 2022.

Judge Helen Boyle sentenced both men to 10 years in jail and suspended the final year.

Det Insp Denis Lynch of Anglesea Street Garda Station told how the elderly woman was walking home along Wellington Road after collecting her pension in St Luke’s Post Office in Cork city when two males with their hoods up

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tried to mug her. One of them pulled her to the ground, which caused her to suffer multiple fractures to her pelvis.

Det Insp Lynch said the robbers had stolen the woman’s handbag which contained her purse, €588 in cash, bank cards, a driving licence, a house key, a car key and a mobile phone and despite an extensive search of the area by gardaí, they were never recovered.

He said that in addition to robbery of the handbag, the elderly woman suffered life-changing injuries including multiple fractures to her pelvis and while she has progressed from using a wheelchair to using a rollator, she was in constant pain since the incident.

Gardaí began an investigation and identified Fitzgerald and Long as suspects.

The pensioner, who had attended court on her rollator last month, did not attend today’s hearing but her victim impact statement was read to the court by her son and in it she outlined how she is still feeling the effects of the robbery.

She said her life had changed on “that awful afternoon in November when I was attacked and robbed not just of my handbag but of my recently regained normal life. I never in my life experienced such fear. I could not comprehend how such a horrible act could happen to a 93-year-old woman.

“I had to rely on my family to move me from bed to bathroom to chair, unable to perform even the most basic tasks for myself. They had to provide 24-hour care for me and while I know they all care greatly for me, this impacted on them and their families’ daily lives.

“My life became very challenging overnight. I was unable to get out to play bridge or meet my friends. I was unable to walk downtown which I have been doing for the last 63 years. I missed a number of family occasions and Christmas, normally a joyous occasion, was a chore.”

“My life as I knew it has changed immeasurably as a result of this terrible crime and sadly, I feel this incident will stay with me for as long as I live.”

Judge Boyle said that taking all factors into account she believed the appropriate sentence was one of 10 years, but she was willing to suspend the final year for each man in light of their guilty pleas, leaving each with nine years to serve, backdated to November 14th when they went into custody.