A 16-year-old youth high on cocaine and ecstasy slashed four people with a carpet knife at a rave in Dublin's Point Depot and scarred them for life, a court heard yesterday. Paul Mulcahy (also known as Paul "Dicey" Reilly) later told gardai he lashed out with the knife because of paranoia brought on by the drugs. After injuring the fourth person, he knew the situation was "getting out of hand", he said.
He also suggested that someone had spiked his drink of milk with another drug before he and his friends gatecrashed the rave, which featured the band, Faithless, last October 25th. Mulcahy (now aged 17), of Coburg Place, Dublin 1, pleaded guilty to wounding a security man and three teenagers in three incidents. The security man, in his 30s, and the other victims aged 18 to 19, suffered deep slash wounds to the face, neck or head. They needed between nine and 27 stitches and would be scarred for life, Det Garda Sean McAvinchey told Ms Aileen Donnelly BL, prosecuting.
The sentence hearing was adjourned with Mulcahy held in custody to February 2nd next to allow time for victim impact reports to be prepared for Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.
Det Garda McAvinchey told Judge Kelly that raves had been held a number of times in the Point and they had been a "recipe for disaster". One young man had died from a drug overdose and a young woman broke several limbs while jumping from a height.
He said gardai may not have been aware of the rave featuring the Faithless. Between 400 to 500 people, aged 16 to 18, were at this rave and unfortunately there were drugs. Other raves were attended by larger crowds. A search at the end of the night uncovered weapons on the floor, including kitchen knives.
Det Garda McAvinchey said one of the victims, aged 18, bumped into a person and was apologising when he was slashed by the accused. His 19-year-old friend was also slashed when he came to his aid.
The third victim got into an argument with another person and was slashed from behind. He needed 27 stitches to his neck and 16 to his face. Judge Kelly said a picture of the man's injuries "defied imagination".
The security man thought he had been boxed in the back of the head until he felt blood trickling down his neck. He needed nine stitches to the wound.
The witness said that on October 30th last, Mulcahy was discovered hiding in an attic of a house which was being searched for another reason. In a statement, he said he had taken cocaine and ecstasy before going to the Point. He also suggested someone had put something in his drink which made him feel strange and paranoid. He and his friends had got in through an exit door.
He claimed the first incident arose when two young men tried to sell him drugs and he suspected them of being the ones who had "spiked" his drink. He was handed a Stanley knife and he lashed out with it, he said.
The next incident arose when he thought the victim was looking at him and he attacked the security man because he was about to search one of his friends.
Det Garda McAvinchey said this account did not agree with the timing given by the victims as the security man was the first to be attacked.