A Limerick man has been handed a four year jail sentence for terrorising a 64-year-old West Clare farmer who was assaulted and tied up at his isolated home.
Judge Gerald Keys imposed the sentence on 24 year old Dean O’Connor of Ferndale, Ennis Rd, Limerick following an incident which occured in August 2014.
Dean O’Connor was on bail at the time of the offence which Judge Keys described as "a cowardly act"
During the trial, Ennis Circuit Court heard he had participated in a planned operation to imprison, assault and steal from PJ Looney at his home near Kilmihil in August 2014.
Mr O’Connor and his accomplice – who has never been apprehended – were disturbed by a neighbour and brother in law of Mr Looney, Tom O’Sullivan who intervened after he saw two strangers in the area.
O’Connor, who has 28 previous convictions, and the other person fled and Mr O’Sullivan was able to free Mr Looney and raise the alarm.
In his victim impact statement, Mr Looney said he was scared during the incident, and feared that he could have been killed.
Counsel for Mr O’Connor, Pat Whyms, told the court his client had lapsed into criminality because of drug use, and that he wished to apologise for his actions.
O'Connor was handed a four year jail term, with the final 14 months suspended.
