Man entered home with knife due to ‘some kind of romantic falling out’
By Brion Hoban
A man who entered a home armed with a knife due to “some kind of romantic falling out” has been jailed for two-and-a-half years.
Christian Goonery (33) was later found asleep on the side of the road by gardai who were responding to the incident.
Dublin Circuit Criminal Court
Goonery of Lindisfarne Avenue, Clondalkin, pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to aggravated burglary at Kilcronain Cross, Clondalkin, on June 11, 2020.
Sergeant Bernard Maguire told Fiona McGowan BL, that the owner of the address in question had a grandson who had an ex-partner who was in a relationship with Goonery.
He said there had been “an incident” some weeks prior to this offending.
Sgt Maguire said the owner of the house, who is in his mid-sixties, saw Goonery walk through the front door of his house with a knife in his hand.
Goonery said he would “stab the two of them”. The owner of the house responded that he would stab no one and blocked Goonery’s way to where his grandson and another man were.
The owner of the house instructed his grandson and the other man to barricade themselves inside a shed in the back garden, which they did.
Goonery began kicking at the door of this shed while screaming at those inside and saying a number of times that he was going to stab them.
The court heard that during the incident, a gas cylinder was put through the window of the shed by the accused. There were also small children present at the address at the time.
A friend of Goonery arrived at the scene and escorted him away. Goonery discarded the knife in the driveway of the house.
Gardai who were called to the scene found Goonery asleep on the side of the road near the entrance to the estate.
It was a number of minutes before they were able to wake him up and he was then arrested.
Sgt Maguire agreed with Oisin Clarke BL, defending, that his client was “incredibly intoxicated” on the date of the offence. He agreed Goonery was engaging with a number of agencies and this came to an end because of Covid.
Mr Clarke said that there was “some kind of romantic falling out” and that his client in an intoxicated state went to do something about it. He said his client accepts it was a terrifying situation for all involved.
Counsel said his client is not “a complete waste of time” and that he is a productive member of society when he is sober. He said he has a history of substance abuse.
Judge Martin Nolan said the owner of the house behaved “very courageously” and that “thankfully” nobody was injured. He said that when Goonery is sober he contributes to society, but when he is drunk “he is a nuisance”.
Judge Nolan sentenced Goonery to two-and-a-half years imprisonment.
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