Burglar cut off artist's fingers...

tommy21 · 03-03-2011 12:08pm #1

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2011/0303/1224291212601.html?via=mr

Burglar cut off artist's fingers

Thu, Mar 03, 2011

A BURGLAR who cut a number of fingers from an artist’s hand and used knives on her “like a butcher” during a break-in will be sentenced at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court in July.

James Kenny (35) pushed his way into the woman’s apartment wearing a balaclava and took items before binding and gagging the woman, and later attacking her. He told gardaí he had no reason to attack the woman, had a problem with painkillers, and had just wanted to get money.

The woman described Kenny as using the knives on her “like a butcher”. She said she was sliding around in blood and felt her only option at one point was to play dead. She lost consciousness and when she awoke made her way to a local hotel, where she collapsed and staff called an ambulance.

The victim needed to be resuscitated on arrival at hospital and had suffered three deep facial lacerations, along with life-threatening wounds. She had stab wounds to her neck, abdomen and chest.

Her ring and little finger had been amputated at joints and her middle and index finger partially amputated. Doctors were able to reattach her middle finger, but she lost the other finger portions. Her facial scars are still visible.

Kenny, of Eden Block, Prospect Hill, Finglas, Dublin, pleaded guilty to aggravated burglary with a knife and machete at another block of the Prospect Hill complex, and to intentionally or recklessly causing serious harm to the woman on September 2nd, 2009. Judge Tony Hunt adjourned sentencing until July 4th next to allow Kenny to be psychologically assessed in prison.

The woman is now unable to hold a pen. She had an exhibition in St Stephen’s Green in 2006 to some acclaim and had illustrated a children’s book. She had planned to illustrate a further book before the attack.

Kenny has a number of previous convictions for theft and a conviction for a serious assault. In that incident he broke into the home of a man and tied him up. When the man tried to escape he stabbed him repeatedly. The man escaped and then Kenny stabbed the man’s partner 10 times. He received a four-year sentence for that offence.

Breffni Gordon, defending, said a “psychological strategy” should be put in place for Kenny, and he should first be assessed by the Prison Service. Mr Gordon will give his plea in mitigation for Kenny at the next hearing.

© 2011 The Irish Times

I wonder what the punishment will be, going by all the other soft touches in our judicary of late :rolleyes:

bigwormbundoran · 03-03-2011 12:11pm

I saw that alright, tis quite the low act now I must say, the fellas clearly a bit mental though so id say he ill get a long ould sentence now

It wasn't me! · 03-03-2011 12:11pm

Psychological strategy my hole. Just imprison him and leave him there as long as the law allows. That is foul.

Dyr · 03-03-2011 12:12pm

Is there no public safety clause in the courts? Proven track record of f****ing people up should equate to a really really long sentence to protect everyone else.

aDeener · 03-03-2011 12:15pm

It wasn't me! wrote: »

Psychological strategy my hole. Just imprison him and leave him there as long as the law allows. That is foul.

that's the fucking problem, the law doesn't allow half enough

Dave! · 03-03-2011 12:15pm

Kenny has a number of previous convictions for theft and a conviction for a serious assault. In that incident he broke into the home of a man and tied him up. When the man tried to escape he stabbed him repeatedly. The man escaped and then Kenny stabbed the man’s partner 10 times. He received a four-year sentence for that offence.

4 years?!

Go and fvcking sh*te.

I don't trust the judiciary in this country one bit, they are absolute handicaps.

wes · 03-03-2011 12:15pm

The guy has already engaged in a similar attack, and imho he should be locked up for the rest of his life. If he is mentally ill, its pretty clear that he is a danger to the public, and should similarly be locked up for the rest of his life. Either way he needs to be locked up, so he can't hurt anyone else.

Bubs99 · 03-03-2011 12:16pm

The sentences given in Ireland to rapists, murderers etc are unreal!

What infuriates me is...they get let out early for "good behaviour"!!!

I feel so sorry for the lady who lost her fingers, as I am an artist also and would be distraught if that happened to me.

That man almost killed two others and got a crap sentence, let out early as per usual and goes and does it again like most do all because they pretty much get away with it in this country!

No wonder women and men dont report rapes and abuse...because the rapist usually gets away with it too.

Donal Og O Baelach · 03-03-2011 12:17pm

tommy21 wrote: »

Kenny has a number of previous convictions for theft and a conviction for a serious assault. In that incident he broke into the home of a man and tied him up. When the man tried to escape he stabbed him repeatedly. The man escaped and then Kenny stabbed the man’s partner 10 times. He received a four-year sentence for that offence.

Releasing this man back into society, with the certain knowledge that he had not been rehabilitated, should be a criminal offence in itself.
It's similar to letting a wild animal out of a zoo and setting him up with a flat in the inner city.

FatherLen · 03-03-2011 12:19pm

the chair?

Dyr · 03-03-2011 12:21pm

FatherLen wrote: »

the chair?

The only chair he'll get in an Irish court is this one:

http://www.winningsupplies.com/images/products/231.jpg

pragmatic1 · 03-03-2011 12:21pm

Nor me. You're almost better off taking the law into your own hands. As it is, you'll only get a few years anyway.

Filty animal. Hope he has a miserable life.

Son Of A Vidic · 03-03-2011 12:24pm

tommy21 wrote: »

When the man tried to escape he stabbed him repeatedly.

Ya see that's attempted murder in my book, so why was the cnut even released? This is the problem with our antiquated judicial system and it's lack of protection for society and crime victims.

The poor woman's wounds again for me clearly indicate attempted murder. So the b@stard should never see the light of day again. Or perhaps amputate his arms and blind him, then fcuk the scumbag into prison for life.

S.R.F.C. · 03-03-2011 12:24pm

4 years for his last one is unreal, f*cking gob****es, definitely has to be locked up for life now.

bronte · 03-03-2011 12:27pm

Four years? For fcuks sake.

Look at this guys record....he needs to be taken off the streets.

Ken. · 03-03-2011 12:30pm

Dogs are put down for less. There should be a 3 strikes your out rule for sh!t like this.

orourkeda · 03-03-2011 12:35pm

Bubs99 wrote: »

The sentences given in Ireland to rapists, murderers etc are unreal!

What infuriates me is...they get let out early for "good behaviour"!!!

I feel so sorry for the lady who lost her fingers, as I am an artist also and would be distraught if that happened to me.

That man almost killed two others and got a crap sentence, let out early as per usual and goes and does it again like most do all because they pretty much get away with it in this country!

No wonder women and men dont report rapes and abuse...because the rapist usually gets away with it too.

A barrister on national radio indicated that the reduction for good behaviouris automatic. It is taken off the minute a convict walks through the prison doors. It's only added back on if they f*ck up while in prison.

CreepingDeath · 03-03-2011 12:36pm

We could really do with a good spring clean of the prisons.

Put those incinerators to good use for people who are nothing but a threat to society.

Pauleta · 03-03-2011 12:36pm

People have to start contacting their Fine Gael or Labour politicians about shoddy sentences. That man got 4 years for attempted murder but was probably given "assault". Then he went out and did the same again. I will be shocked if he will even get 10. We must have the most liberal justice system on the planet.

LK_Dave · 03-03-2011 12:40pm

That sentence proves that the higher echelons’ of the Irish justice system are out of touch with man/woman on the street. They live in their ivory towers protected by state of the art security systems with the Guards on demand. All the while refusing to take a pay cut like the rest of us because they claim it to be unconstitutional.

Plazaman · 03-03-2011 12:44pm

Pity someone couldn't arrange that he "fell" on the way to prison, save us tens of thousands in keeping him locked up.

PandyAndy · 03-03-2011 12:48pm

What an absolute fúcking scumbag.

seamus · 03-03-2011 12:50pm

I honestly don't know how victims in these cases can hold themselves back. If some guy broke into my house and stabbed my wife ten times, I'd have firebombed his house and watched the guy burn before he even had a chance to stand trial.

Legally right? No, not even morally right, but I'd know that I wouldn't get any justice in this country.

GrizzlyMan · 03-03-2011 12:59pm

makes me so fu4king angry, 4 fu4king years:mad::mad: that poor woman, the justice system is an absoulte disgrace:mad:

El Siglo · 03-03-2011 12:59pm

That's pretty fucking grim thing to do to somebody. If he had robbed her it was one thing, but to start stabbing and cutting her fingers off is fucking twisted.

checkyabadself · 03-03-2011 1:02pm

I bear no animosity toward this clearly mentally ill man. The judicial system that released him after four years without rehabilitation is to be blamed.

A man was in court recently for viciously attacking and raping a woman a mere 12 hours after being released for doing exactly the same crime twice previously. The second of his attacks happened hours after his first release also.

Justice is nothing without rehabilitation. Anyone who wants offenders locked up without any concern as to the offenders placement or treatment, are themselves guilty of an injustice.
Unfortunately mentally disturbed people show up on the radar when they commit their first offence. That is their fault. If/when they reoffend, that is our fault for hiding the issue away in a box and not treating the issue.

Is it not glaringly obvious that the onus is on the sane people to keep the insane from re-offending. The insane have an excuse, what's ours?

coffee_cake · 03-03-2011 1:03pm

That's twisted

Psych evaluation or otherwise, he needs to be locked up for a long time

gurramok · 03-03-2011 1:04pm

Stab someone 10 times and you get 4 years(excluding good behaviour), do you have to stab someone 20 times to get 8 years? Wtf!

Any defenders of the legal system here defend that?

Micky Dolenz · 03-03-2011 1:05pm

We really are some nation. How many times have we seen stuff like this happen?, how much longer can we sit back and do nothing?.

At what point do we collectively stand up and say, no more.

aDeener · 03-03-2011 1:05pm

Pauleta wrote: »

People have to start contacting their Fine Gael or Labour politicians about shoddy sentences. That man got 4 years for attempted murder but was probably given "assault". Then he went out and did the same again. I will be shocked if he will even get 10. We must have the most liberal justice system on the planet.

if anyone will do anything it would be fine gael to be fair! hopefully they do

bonerm · 03-03-2011 1:07pm

Bullet in the head for that one.

Burglar cut off artist's fingers...

Comments