Man jailed for robbery and assault in Longford town carpark

A man before Longford Circuit Court charged with robbery and assault has been sentenced to six years in prison with the final 18 months suspended.

Tony Wilson, formerly of Tallaght, Dublin 24, along with another co-accused was charged with robbing Jacqueline Ormond in Longford town on November 7, 2018. He was further charged with the assault of a third party who had come to Ms Ormond’s aid when she was being robbed.

Speaking at a recent court sitting, Detective Garda Clive Glancy explained that Ms Ormond got the 5.30am train to Dublin on that day, and had arrived back in Longford at approximately 9.30pm.

As she disembarked the train and walked to her car at a carpark, CCTV footage shows Ms Ormond being followed by the defendant and three other people who had been on the same train.

“She was accosted by three of the four when she reached her car. A female and a male grabbed her handbag,” Det Gda Glancy explained.

“She held on and was forcibly dragged until they forcibly took the handbag.”

While this was happening, another man, Denis McGrath, who had been passing, intervened to try to help Ms Ormond and was accosted by two males, Det Gda Glancy continued.

“A struggle ensued and he received facial injuries,” he explained while CCTV footage of the incident was shown in court.

After the incident, Ms Ormond and Mr McGrath went to Longford Garda Station and reported the incident to Gda Satchwell.

The accused was arrested the following day and shown CCTV footage. During an initial interview, Det Gda Glancy explained, the accused replied ‘no comment’ throughout but, in a second interview, he accepted he was on the footage from the train but said no more.

The court heard that Mr Wilson is well known to gardaí. He had 98 previous convictions, many of which were for assault, and had a history of drug abuse.

A victim impact statement by Denis McGrath, which was read out in court by Det Gda Glancy, revealed that Mr McGrath had received a laceration below his left eye, which was black for a number of days due to being punched.

The statement read that Mr McGrath “becomes nervous when it’s dark at night” and he’s alone, and that he is “more aware of people around” him.

“I was shocked at the level of violence used against Jacqueline Ormond and by the violence used on me,” his statement read.

“His actions were commendable. Without his intervention, we could have been dealing with more serious matters,” said Judge Keenan Johnson.

A victim impact statement written by Jacqueline Ormond was also read out in court. In it, she detailed the “obliteration of any sense of security in public settings”.

“This happened in the presence of a number of significant deterrents,” her statement read.

Ms Ormond wrote that she had identified the threat of one of the co-accused at the train station and had taken “reasonable steps to ensure my own safety”.

“I was targeted, followed and isolated,” she said, adding that she had no feeling of safety or security.

“All that was missing on the night was a David Attenborough narration.

“They dragged me along the ground on my back and they would not stop. I held a vice-like grip but they were unrelenting. They were so determined and had a complete disregard for my safety.

“My arms were over my head, exposing my body to any number of violent attacks. I fully expected violence. I had to accept I was going to get hurt.”

She also expressed her gratitude to Denis McGrath whose bravery she said “could not be overstated” and that, while this was “a deeply traumatic experience”, it also “demonstrated the inherent good in people”.

Ms Ormond also explained that she suffered grazes on her back from being dragged and was receiving ongoing psychotherapy to deal with her stress following the incident.

The court heard of Mr Wilson’s history with drug abuse, as well as two assaults he fell victim to while in prison, and a probation report furnished to the court ahead of a sitting last week revealed that Mr Wilson had suffered “a dysfunctional childhood”.

“He certainly wasn’t born equal. He has suffered huge difficulties. The cards were stacked against him,” said Judge Johnson when sentencing Mr Wilson.

“He suffered appalling abuse, even while in foster care and he has yet to deal with that. I have a large degree of sympathy for him.

“His drug addictions and all issues have all stemmed from that and he needs to deal with that.”

In conclusion, Judge Johnson sentenced Mr Wilson to six years imprisonment, with the final 18 months suspended for a period of five years.