A cancer patient has been jailed after he admitted a violent street robbery in which he broke the victim’s leg.
Martin Hanley (55) knocked Frank O’Neill to the ground with a punch as the victim left a bookmakers shop with some winnings. Hanley demanded money off the victim while he lay on the ground and stamped on his leg.
Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard that Hanley is receiving treatment for cancer and has had a lung surgically removed.
Judge Karen O’Connor said the attack was a vicious and frightening one which shocked the victim and has left him worried for his personal safety.
She suspended the last two-and-a-half years of a five-year prison term and told Hanley he would be going to jail for longer but for the fact he has a “life changing illness”. She placed him on a bond to be of good behaviour for two years and to engage with Probation Services after his release.
The victim’s tibia bone was broken during the attack and he is no longer able to run. For some time after the robbery he was unable to walk and could not walk “his beloved dog”, Judge O’Connor said.
She said the injuries meant the victim, who is aged in his 60s, was likely to suffer from arthritis in the future.
Hanley, of Mountjoy Square in Dublin city, pleaded guilty to robbery at Gardiner Lane, Dublin on November 23rd, 2017.
The court heard Hanley targeted and followed the victim before attacking him. He told him he had a knife though no knife was ever produced. He has not come to garda attention since the offence and his lawyer told the court the attack was “out of character” for him.
Garrett McCormack BL, defending, said his client was at a very low ebb in his life at the time and was sorry for his actions. Hanley and his family had raised €2,000 to offer the victim as a token of remorse but Mr O’Neill refused the offer.
Judge O’Connor made no order regarding the monies. A Probation Service report put Hanley at a moderate risk of re-offending.