A man who allowed his Bulmastiff-Pitbull cross to viciously attack a woman as she and her child walked their own dog was given a four-year prison sentence by a Circuit Court Judge yesterday for this and other separate offences including attacks on two Gardai.
David Barrett (41), Ballymacremond, Knockmore, Ballina, Co. Mayo, appeared before Judge Eoin Garavan at Castlebar Circuit Criminal Court for sentencing having pleaded guilty at an earlier court to assault causing harm.
At a previous hearing Ms. Sandra Killeen, in an emotional victim impact statement, told of how she had almost been mauled to death in front of her nine-year-old child.
She described the attack as “terrifying and traumatic” and said she feared for her life.
“The attack was relentless and the dog was going for my neck when a brave passerby intervened, beating the dog away with a stick.”
Ms. Killeen sustained serious injuries and required emergency surgery following her shocking ordeal in the grounds of Mount Falcon House Estate, on November 20th, 2022.
Yesterday, Judge Garavan also sentenced Barrett in relation to separate incidents including the attacks on two female Gardaí who had responded to reports of a domestic disturbance at his home.
The court heard Barrett was heavily intoxicated when the two Gardai arrived and he jumped over a gate, lunging and spitting at the women before punching one Garda twice with a closed fist.
Judge Garavan handed him a global sentence for all offences of five years in prison, with the final year suspended.
The sentence was backdated to July 2024 when Barrett first went into custody.