A 22-year-old man has been given a sentence of 15 and half years for attempting to murder his ex-girlfriend by stabbing her over 50 times in what was described as a savage, unwarranted and unprovoked attack.
Niamh Kelly was left with lifelong injuries after Josh O'Brien assaulted her for up to six minutes on a street in Dublin in September 2024.
The 21-year-old spent seven months in hospital recovering from the attack during which multiple bones were broken in her skull and face, permanent damage was caused to one eye and part of her spinal cord was cut causing paralysis in her left leg.
She also experienced damage to her hands, which required intensive therapy to regain normal movement.
Sentencing O’Brien today, Ms Justice Mary Ellen Ring said: "To have suffered the 50 stab wounds and survived is nothing short of miraculous."
But she said while Ms Kelly survived, she now lives a totally different life and faces limitations that no one should have to.
She said: "Domestic relationships should be based on love, respect and trust, not manipulation, abuse and violence."
Ms Justice Ring said the headline sentence was 19 years but taking a number of factors into account, including his mental health issues, she was sentencing him to 15 and half years in prison with the final 18 months suspended.
Ms Kelly had been in a relationship with O’Brien for over a year and they had a son together, but they had broken up.
O’Brien wanted to get back together and told gardaí he felt "betrayed" and disrespected.
As they walked to Ms Kelly’s home on the 19 September he started punching and kicking her and pushed her to the ground.
He took out a knife and stabbed her 50 times all over her body for up to six minutes and tried to stand on her head before nearby security personnel tried to stop O’Brien and he ran away.
The court heard that a small portion of the blade is still lodged in the victim's skull, as it would be too difficult a procedure to remove it.
In her victim impact statement to the court, Ms Kelly said that her life "changed forever both physically and mentally".
She told the court that she has struggled to sleep since then, so she was put on medication to help her sleep, but she still gets flashbacks.
Speaking outside the courthouse today, Ms Kelly said: "I am glad he isn’t walking away and hopefully this won’t happen to any other girl my age."
Ms Kelly said she initially thought she would never walk again after the assault.
"When the doctors were saying to me about not walking again, that’s when I thought my whole life was over, especially at a young age because there is still so much more I want to do with my life," she said.
She said she is getting physio and more rehabilitation and does not have to rely on a wheelchair all the time.
Ms Kelly said her son is "keeping me going, I’m trying to get stronger for him".
At an earlier sentence hearing, defence counsel Michael O’Higgins SC said that his client wished to apologise to the victim for having "done something terrible".
Counsel described this as a "ferocious, unwarranted, unjustified and unprovoked attack," which was carried out in a fit of temper that was "driven by overwhelming jealousy".
Mr O’Higgins said that O’Brien "loved her very much", but he was "not equipped to make a go of that relationship" as he was possessive and immature.
He said that O’Brien is consumed with remorse and accepts full responsibility for the attack.
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