[article] A scumbag sentenced to...

mike65

From iol

A Dublin man tried to force a young woman to have sex with her flatmate and then cut her with a knife, a court heard today.

Stephen Phelan, 20, from Poddle Close in Kimmage was found guilty of aggravated sexual assault and assault causing harm to the woman by a jury in June.

It occurred during a spree of burglaries carried out by Phelan and another man in February 11 2003, which involved the robbery of DVD players, laptops, two cars and the stabbing of a householder eight times.

At the sentencing hearing in Central Criminal Court today, Detective Sergeant George McGeary said Phelan and his accomplice had broken into a house in Harold’s Cross, where four people were living, including the young woman.

They were armed with a screwdriver, a Stanley knife, a Swiss army knife, a dumb-bell and a hacksaw.

After searching the house for property and money, Phelan went into the bedroom of a 24-year-old tenant. She screamed when she saw him and shouted at her flatmate to get her trousers.

The court heard he came into the room and told her: “Give us what we want or we’ll cut you.”

He was unable to find her ATM card and told her to take off her clothes, where he believed she was concealing it.

Later in the burglary, he came back into her room and told her to lie down on the bed or he would cut her nipples.

She refused several times to take off her clothes but then Phelan came back, held a knife to her throat and told her to ’take off her f*****g clothes’.

Detective Sergeant McGeary told the court that she was crying while she took her trouser bottoms off.

He used his knife to cut off her underwear and then told her to have sex with one of her two male flatmates.

He refused, saying ’She’s my friend’ but was then cut twice on the upper arm in a X shape.

The young woman was then ordered into the bedroom of another flatmate, who had been forced to lie naked on the bed.

Phelan told them to have sex together and they kissed, pretending to have sex.

Detective Sergeant McGeary told the court that both of them had been terrified by Phelan’s threats.

Judge Philip O’Sullivan is expected to pass sentence in the afternoon.

The judge sentenced this piece of scum to 9 years, so he could be out in less than 5! There is NO justice, he and he accomplice should'nt see the outside again.

Mike.

Blisterman

They really should bring back compulsary sterilisation for some people.

Dyr

Note@ all the weapons used were ordinary items, just as well the gavverment/press banned "offensive" wepaons to make sure that incidents like this cant happen...:rolleyes:

that said our legal system is a joke, if one of the tenants had the good sense to cave this toerags skull in and avoid all this he'd be getting 5 years now instead


:v: < remember folks, the law likes victims to be victims... makes court cases so much easier..so please dont fight back

Ruaidhri

mike65 wrote:

The judge sentenced this piece of scum to 9 years, so he could be out in less than 5! There is NO justice, he and he accomplice should'nt see the outside again.

Mike.

Eh? The justice is that he's going to jail,and not getting away with it.

The Free Man

just saw this on the news, pure scum. hope he gets whats coming to him in jail..

mike65

Eh? The justice is that he's going to jail,and not getting away with it.

If you consider 5 years (in real life) justice for multiple assault with deadly weapons and robbery then you must be very soft indeed.

Mike.

Turner

I would say he would be somewhat of a hero in jail..

Getting away with all that to be released in about 5-6 years. He probably cant wait to see the gards involved on the streets in 5 years to give them the fingers and laugh.

Justice me arse.

Ruaidhri

mike65 wrote:

If you consider 5 years (in real life) justice for multiple assault with deadly weapons and robbery then you must be very soft indeed.

Mike.

I *used* to think like that,until one of my drinking buddies started working as a prison officer.

Seriously,1 month would be hell.

Dyr

I know a few lads who work as screws, they wouldnt agree

Depends on whos doing the time and where. Most people of this ilk have been in and out of the prison system already


:v: <i heard a junkie on the 13a moaning that the joy was a holiday camp these days and young scummers didnt know their luck

cookiemonst3r

i just heard this on radio. wat crap!! and did anyone hear wat he said about it himself. he didnt even sound sorry. he was like ya i was goin through a bad time... stressful.. exams blah blah blah. i cant believe he only got 9 yrs!!

Uthur

I dunno, I reckon 5+ years of your life lost in prison is a horrible experience for
anyone. I can't see how this guy would possibly be laughing after it!

I knew one of the hardest scumbags you ever met in your life when I was
young. He got 12 months in mountjoy for a violent robbery and it completely
broke him. He was a changed man when he got out and never broke the
law again. Don't underestimate what 5 years banged up in a filthy ****hole
will do to a person!

Uthur

cookiemonst3r wrote:

i just heard this on radio. wat crap!! and did anyone hear wat he said about it himself. he didnt even sound sorry. he was like ya i was goin through a bad time... stressful.. exams blah blah blah. i cant believe he only got 9 yrs!!

WTF? What exams was he doing? I can't believe a college boy would be
such a total scumbag? I'd be surprised if a scummer like this would still
be in school long enough to do his LC. :mad:

aidan_walsh

Uthur wrote:

I can't believe a college boy would be such a total scumbag? I'd be surprised if a scummer like this would still be in school long enough to do his LC.

Wow, someone who actually believes you have to be of a lower education level to be a thug... I didn't know they actually existed.

Stephen

According to the news, this shi1bag stabbed 13 people in the one night. **** rehabilitation and all that, the world is better off without him.
What a tragedy it would be if he got shanked in prison :rolleyes:

Uthur

aidan_walsh wrote:

Wow, someone who actually believes you have to be of a lower education level to be a thug... I didn't know they actually existed.

Most criminal scumbags I've known have been school dropouts. You're not
seriously saying there's no correlation between a lack of education and
involvement in criminal behaviour are you? :eek:

GLaDOS

Perhaps you shud consider an alternative...for a crime such as his, cutting off a certain body-part...

aidan_walsh

Uthur wrote:

Most criminal scumbags I've known have been school dropouts. You're not
seriously saying there's no correlation between a lack of education and
involvement in criminal behaviour are you? :eek:

Are you seriously saying that everyone who dropped out of school is more likely to be a criminal?

whiskeyman

cookiemonst3r wrote:

i just heard this on radio. wat crap!! and did anyone hear wat he said about it himself. he didnt even sound sorry. he was like ya i was goin through a bad time... stressful.. exams blah blah blah. i cant believe he only got 9 yrs!!

uthur wrote:

WTF? What exams was he doing? I can't believe a college boy would be
such a total scumbag? I'd be surprised if a scummer like this would still
be in school long enough to do his LC.

Eh lads... I'm 99.99% certain this was actually one of the victims being interviewed saying he was coping well with the ordeal while also dealing with stress of exams etc..
It was an interview on radio with the guy, and I dont think such interviews are given to anyone charged and sentanced.

Uthur

aidan_walsh wrote:

Are you seriously saying that everyone who dropped out of school is more likely to be a criminal?

Dude this is OT for this thread so let's just leave it ok.

aidan_walsh

Uthur wrote:

Dude this is OT for this thread so let's just leave it ok.

You win this round, wee bull...

Uthur

ScienceNerd wrote:

Perhaps you shud consider an alternative...for a crime such as his, cutting off a certain body-part...

I don't think a haircut is gonna do it. Most of these knacks have pretty
close cropped hair to begin with

Ruaidhri

Stephen wrote:

According to the news, this shi1bag stabbed 13 people in the one night. **** rehabilitation and all that, the world is better off without him.
What a tragedy it would be if he got shanked in prison :rolleyes:

He *will* be shanked in prison,except it'll be a meat shank :v:

MrJoeSoap

Another fine example of the Irish "justice" system at work. I wonder what % of Irish people would consider this a fair sentence for the crimes commited. Seriously, something really has to be done about sentencing in this country.

Our man in Havana

I am outraged by this outrageous affront to justice. Are judges living in the real world?

Nuttzz

this is why we need mandatory sentences for certain types of crime, if you rape you get 15 years, you peddle drugs you get 20 years and so on, no if's no buts

AARRRGH

I find it amazing that if I rob a bank (inside job, NO violence) I'd probably get more than 9 years.

It's a crazy world...

The Bollox

Nuttzz wrote:

this is why we need mandatory sentences for certain types of crime, if you rape you get 15 years, you peddle drugs you get 20 years and so on, no if's no buts

well... maybe a few buts, BIG ONES!

but yeah I know what ya mean, one piece of dog shít commits breaking and entering, robbery, assault, brutal stabbing and all that jazz and only gets 5 years. another piece of shít rapes a girl and gets 20, where's the justice in that? the judges in this country really need to get a bit of cop-on

RE*AC*TOR

Quite a reactionary bunch you lot. Mandatory sentences are inherently a bad idea. In such a system, what role has a judge to play? Merely an administrator?

Remember also he was convicted of aggravated sexual assault and assault causing harm. The judge can only pass sentence on the crimes he was convicted of.

I couldn't see anyone posting here doing 9 years or even 1 year and come out smiling the other end.

LegacyUser

That can only be describe as 'animal' behaviour.
Congrats to the young woman, and men involved, for their bravery and refusal to give in to the scumbags sick demands.
Sadly, there are many who would have done what they where asked through sheer terror.
That really is a disgraceful sentance for such a horrible crime.

Blisterman

Nuttzz wrote:

this is why we need mandatory sentences for certain types of crime, if you rape you get 15 years, you peddle drugs you get 20 years and so on, no if's no buts

You're saying people who sell a bit of weed deserve a longer sentance than rapists?

Dave

I have to go with Blisterman on this one.

If I'm carrying over half an ounce on my person (which I think is enough to be considered possession with intent to supply) I should be done for 20 years.

This is where the "No buts" argument becomes fairly flawed.

joe_chicken

dublindude wrote:

I find it amazing that if I rob a bank (inside job, NO violence) I'd probably get more than 9 years.

It's a crazy world...

sounds like you've been weighing up your options dublindude!?

5 years is too short... but then again he is relatively young

MrJoeSoap

Think they were talking about this guy on Gerry Ryan this morning, he is the one who cut the girls back with a stanley knife from from the top of the back down along her spine yeah? 6 years (effectively) for this piece of dirt excuse for a human being is just so insanely wrong I don't know where to begin.

Blisterman

Well hopfully he'll encounter lots of prison beatings and sodomy.

the_menace

It's only a drop in the ocean this case. Wait and see when there's a proper crack epidemic in Dublin and this kind of sick story will be commonplace. We should probably be addressing the root problem - the supply of crack cocaine. Because it turn otherwise relatively passive junkies into psychotic sadists. Fixed sentences don't work but there's should be a minimum of life for people caught with intent to supply crack. Simple as. We can sit around saying how silly that is for whatever reason while Dublin starts to resemble New York and LA in the late 80's or we can stamp it out. The hardline approach is the only thing that works; just ask any New Yorker. Mind you, judging by the lax "wait until it's too late" attitude towards criminality in this country I fear the worst.

Nuttzz

Blisterman wrote:

You're saying people who sell a bit of weed deserve a longer sentance than rapists?

they were only examples tbh

Get judges to review the length of mandatory sentences each year

oh and hire sheriff joe

http://www.mcso.org/submenu.asp?file=aboutsheriff&page=1

muckwarrior

Firstly this guy won't be out in 5 years. He will serve 9 full years backdated to last july, so basically 8 1/2 years. He will then be monitered for 5 more years and if he re-offends he'll be thrown back inside. He has already been in prison since the incident almost 3 years ago, but this time counts for other crimes he commited including headbutting a prison officer in court during the trial.

Secondly it was one of the victims intervied that mentioned exams. Phelan dropped out of school aged 12.

I think the sentence was far too lenient. Especially considering that all the sentences added together came to about 60-70 years! But because the sentences are served concurrently this effectively means that he only stays in prison for the duration of the longest sentence, which was 9 years for the sexual assault. This guy is evil. Pure and simple. He will re-offend, and most likely kill or maim someone. If it were up to me I'd have given him life.

And just in case you're wondering how I know so much about it, it's because I was there.

muckwarrior

RE*AC*TOR wrote:

The judge can only pass sentence on the crimes he was convicted of.

Yes, but the maximum sentence that he could have imposed was life. Therefore he chose to be lenient.

Airblazer

that as we're seeing from both Limerick and Dublin is that the scumbags are killing each other..and the best of luck to them I'd say...the sooner they're all gone the better...I'm sure no decent person mourned that shiitbag that was gunned down in dublin recently..hopefully this guy will get sorted out in jail ie...and fingers crossed it'll be painful for him

MrJoeSoap

It is not only "each other" they are affecting though, and they will never "kill each other off".

LORDOFDOOM

aidan_walsh wrote:

Are you seriously saying that everyone who dropped out of school is more likely to be a criminal?

Are you for real?
Like...seriously?

passive

Are you seriously saying that everyone who dropped out of school is more likely to be a criminal?

Just to take you up on that... What he was actually saying seemed to be that violent criminals and the "scumbags" and "junkies" to which we are referring are far, far, far less likely to have completed their leaving certificate or be involved in third level education than everyone else...

I don't think that's at all unreasonable and is most likely backed up my figures and statistics and all kinds of numbers... so remember.. A is likely to be B does not mean that B is likely to be A.

muckwarrior

passive wrote:

A is likely to be B does not mean that B is likely to be A.

Raining => raincoat
Raincoat ¬=> raining

On topic though, this is a slightly more accurate report.

slipss

I can't it believe it but I actually knew this guy when we were younger, he always seemed really sound, he was a bit of a scumbag even when I knew him, always got on well with him though. Hadn't seen him in a few years, I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw his name in the paper. What a sick ****er, after reading the sh1t he did I the sentence was too lenient. I wonder why he wasn't facing attempted murder charges, for the guy who's stomack he cut open.

Delboy05

i wonder if the houses ye're man had broken into were on Shrewsbury Road, would the sentence have been longer.....
Judges who live in Ivory towers are well removed from daily life....

should have got around 14 years IMO. Should'nt have been on the streets in the 1st place - he had 30 previous convictions!!! Surely once you pass 5 criminal convictions, in say, 5 years, you should be looking at minimum jail sentences which increase in length on every subsequent offence

Peace

Don't the US govt have some system of 3 strikes and life... or was that ever introduced.

Any this lad should have been sent away for a long time. 5 years is a short strech for the trauma he inflicted on his victims.

bohsboy

He got 9 years back-dated to July and lose one-quarter of the sentence on remission straight away so that knocks of almost three years of the sentence. 6 years for sexual assault and 12 other people assalulted? Very soft sentence. If he had carried the crimes out over the course of 13 night he would be facing 20 years plus inside. His only good luck was that he carried them all out on the one night.

fly_agaric

Delboy05 wrote:

Judges who live in Ivory towers are well removed from daily life....

IMO, at least some of the judges do seem to get more worked up about property crime. Sometimes they hand out pretty stiff sentences (few years) to recidivist shoplifters and burglars who have spent their whole lives robbing. I would have thought the sentence would be stiffer seeing as this man is an extremely dangerous individual. I wonder how the survivors feel knowing he could be out of jail in a 5 or so years if he behaves himself well (big if though)?

muckwarrior

bohsboy wrote:

He got 9 years back-dated to July and lose one-quarter of the sentence on remission straight away so that knocks of almost three years of the sentence.

Apparently not. I was told that he will serve the 9 full years.

padser

In general i agree with everyone who says that scummers that commit crimes like this should get much stiffer sentences (10-15-20 yrs inside with no remission etc).

However there is something i sometimes think about. You get on a bus and you see a little child of 2/3 yrs of age dressed up in little knacker gear and an earring etc and the mother and father shouting and cursing at him and looking like complete scummers themselves.Most people feel sorry for that kid and say he doesnt have much of a chance.

Fast forward to a couple of yrs and he is causing a bit of minor trouble like throwing stones at cars etc when he is 6/7/8 and people are giving out about him and asking 'what are the parents at'.

Then by the time he is 12/13/14 he is a complete fully feldged knack in his own right and no one has anymore sympathy for him and people say he should be locked up for a few years and have some respect 'knocked into him'.

When he is 20 he is suddenly up in court for exactly what we saw here and he brings up the argument of his childhood etc and at this point everyone suddenly forgets about the little 2 yr old they saw being dragged around the shops by their mother while she was shoppping and they thought 'he never had a proper start in life'. Suddenly its all his fault.

Im not making an excuse and saying in any way that what happened was just not his fault. Im simply saying that there are lots of couples that simply do not make good parents and that children from that type of background have a much higher chance of turning out badly. And when this happens, along with everyone else, when i see a scummer standing up in the dock, I think the country would be better if he was locked up until he was around 60 or so. But its not completely his fault, or at least often it isnt.

muckwarrior

Thats a fair point padser. But what about all the people with rough backgrounds that don't end up like this? I can kinda understand your average scummer doin a bit of robbing to fund his addiction or whatever. But this guy wasn't just a robber. The people involved readily handed over everything they had to him and his accomplice. But this wasn't good enough, he was intent on inflicting harm. He took pleasure in beating, stabbing and terrorising the people involved. They could have just grabbed the stuff and left, but in the last house they stayed for an hour and a half doing their best to terrorise and demean their victims. No kind of upbringing could result in the malice and general contempt for human life that this guy possesses.