Judge jails brothers for separate attacks on taxi driver and couple

A judge has today jailed a machete-wielding Ennis man for two-and-a-half years for hijacking a car owned by a consultant psychiatrist and his then pregnant wife.

At Ennis Circuit Court, Judge Gerald Keys jailed Declan Sherlock (24) formerly of Dromard, Ennis for offences associated with the car-jacking of Dr Narayanan Subramanian and his wife, Anju Sara Alex four days before Christmas Day in 2017.

Mr Sherlock was on High Court bail at the time of the offence and as a result, the two and a half year jail term is consecutive on a two year jail term imposed on Mr Sherlock for a feud-related assault.

In a separate case at Ennis Circuit Court, Judge Keys jailed a younger brother of Mr Sherlock, Jordan Sherlock (19) formerly of Dromard, Ennis for three years suspending the final 18 months for a separate attack on a taxi driver on June 9th, 2017.

In the attack, Jordan Sherlock, 17 at the time, stabbed Abi Ohiku six times with a pen knife near his former home at Dromard, Ennis on June 9th, 2017.

Judge Keys described the attack as “vicious and completely unwarranted”.

The Sherlocks’ victims were not in court for the cases today.

Mr Ohiku was set upon by four members of the Sherlock family in a dispute over a fare.

Judge Keys jailed Damien Sherlock (27) and Declan Sherlock formerly of Dromard to two years with six months suspended in each case for their role in the attack.

Their father, James Sherlock escaped jail and received a two year suspended sentence for his role.

Damien Sherlock has 110 previous convictions with Declan Sherlock having 24 and James Sherlock having 21 previous convictions.

In his victim impact statement, Mr Ohiku said to them: “What kind of human beings are you to bring such in-humane treatment on me?”

Mr Ohiku said that he thinks “about my blood that was gushing from the six stab wounds that you have inflicted upon me everyday and I have not been able to erase that from my head and mind”.

Mr Ohiku said: “The 9th of June is a day I will remember for a long time- the beating and stabbing that you inflicted on me in the attack that night has left me with a huge physical and psychological problems.”

In the separate machete case which occurred six months later at Christmas time in the same Ennis estate of Dromard, Declan Sherlock held the machete up to the stomach of Dr Subramanian.

In his victim impact statement read out at Ennis Circuit Court previously, Dr Subramanian said: “This man made one of the best days of our life after the scan of our unborn on that day in to one of the worst we could have ever imagined in our life.”