‘Bully boy’ jailed over attack on taxi driver

A man who was part of a group who attacked a taxi driver before tying him up and taking his car has been jailed.

Wayne Donnelly (28) also assaulted a different man after telling him he owed money to drug dealers.

Donnelly, of Oakcourt Lawn, Palmerstown, Dublin, pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to assault causing harm to a man at a house in Palmerstown on July 29th, 2013.

He also pleaded guilty to false imprisonment of a taxi driver and unlawful seizure of a car at Tubber Lane, Lucan, on August 21st, 2013. Donnelly has 26 previous convictions.

Judge Desmond Hogan described Donnelly and another man as "bullyboys" who went to the home of the father of a man who they claimed owed money to drug dealers.

He suspended fours years of a six-year prison term on condition that Donnelly keeps the peace for that period and engages with a drug treatment programme.

Detective Garda Padraig Jennings told Garret Baker, prosecuting, that Donnelly and a second person went to the home of a man in Palmerstown and told him his son owed money to an individual who had just come out of prison. Donnelly told the man that two grenades would be put in his house before punching him in the face.

The man fell to the ground and Donnelly kicked him in the stomach and head. After the other man pulled Donnelly off, Donnelly smashed the man’s car window with a flower pot before leaving. Gardaí arrested Donnelly as he and his co-accused tired to flee.

Det Gda Jennings agreed with Anne Marie Lawlor, defending, that Donnelly at the time had the appearance and demeanour of a heavy drug user.

He agreed with Ms Lawlor that Donnelly was acting on the instructions of another person.

Garda Caroline Flynn told Mr Baker that the following month a taxi driver was stopped at Palmerstown in the early hours of the morning and begged by an individual to take him to Celbridge.

When he agreed the individual called out and two other men got into the taxi. The taxi driver protested but was told the men were all going to the same place to collect horse feed.

The taxi driver was told to take a certain road and when he didn’t he was grabbed from behind. His mobile phone and €250 was taken.

One of the men remarked: “This is a nice car, we will take the car.” He told the group there was a tracking system but they replied that they did not care.

All three men then punched and kicked him to the head and body.

The taxi driver had his hands and feet tied up before being picked up and thrown into bushes. His shoes were also removed. He heard one of the group say: “No one will see him until the morning.”

The taxi driver, who suffered head injuries and a broken nose, managed to get free and went to a neighbouring house.

Gardaí­ found the man’s car burned out in a ditch and came across three men, including Donnelly, who had blood stains on their clothes.