CCTV camera.
A man from Co Wicklow has been jailed for attacking two men in separate incidents, including one where he struck a man with a hatchet, leaving him with serious injuries
Dermot Travers (36), of St John’s Villas, Arklow, pleaded guilty at a sitting of Wicklow Circuit Criminal Court to one count of affray and one count of assault causing harm to a man with a hatchet in Arklow in 2024. Both charges arose from separate incidents just weeks apart.
Garda Ben Silverlock, from Arklow Garda Station, showed the court CCTV footage from the first incident. The footage showed Mr Travers getting out of a car and running towards a couple walking in his direction. Mr Travers proceeded to assault both the male and female, with the male victim seen knocked unconscious on the ground for several minutes.
In the second incident, James Kelly SC, counsel for the prosecution, told the court that Mr Travers struck a man four times with a hatchet, hitting him in the neck, ribs, and ankle. The weapon was never recovered. Judge Patrick Quinn was shown photographs of the injuries sustained by the man.
When questioned, Mr Travers made full admissions to injuring both victims. The court heard that he has 107 previous convictions for a range of offences.
Justin McQuade BL, barrister for the defence, told the court that his client was “Arklow born and bred” and suffers from addictions to benzodiazepines, cocaine, and heroin.
Mr McQuade asked Gda Silverlock whether Mr Travers was pleasant to deal with when sober, to which the garda agreed he was. The court also heard that Mr Travers had endured an extremely difficult childhood.
When sentencing, Judge Quinn noted the level of violence in both assaults. He sentenced Mr Travers to eight and a half years in prison on both counts, suspending the final two and a half years for a period of two and a half years.
The sentence was backdated to 2024, as Mr Travers has been in custody since that time.
Funded by the Court Reporting Scheme