Man remanded in custody after pleading guilty to knife attack on family

A 54-year-old man has been remanded in custody for sentence after he pleaded guilty to a series of knife attacks on a family just two days before Christmas which left one woman fighting for her life in hospital.

Thomas O'Sullivan pleaded guilty to a total of five charges arising out of the incident when he was brought before Cork Circuit Criminal Court on Thursday.

He pleaded guilty to assault causing serious harm to a 47-year-old woman at her home on Middle Glanmire Road in Cork on December 23rd contrary to Section 4 of the Non Fatal Offences against the Person Act 1997.

He also pleaded guilty to three counts of assault causing harm to the woman’s 20-year-old daughter, 17-year-old daughter and ten-year-old son contrary to Section 3 of the Non Fatal Offences against the Person Act.

The defendant, with an address at Silvercourt, Silversprings also pleaded guilty to possessing a knife in the course of committing a burglary at the woman's home contrary to Section 13 of the Criminal Justice (Theft and Fraud Offences) Act 2001.

Defence barrister, Ray Boland said he was seeking an adjournment to allow the preparation of a psychiatric report from Dr Sandra Barry whom his client had been attending for four or five years.

Prosecution barrister, Sinead Behan said the state had no difficulty with the matter being adjourned as it would facilitate the presentation of victim impact statements.

Judge Sean O Donnabhain granted the adjournment and remanded the defendant in continuing custody to appear again at Cork Circuit Criminal Court on June 19th for sentence.

Previously at Cork District Court, Judge Mary Dorgan made an order prohibiting naming the injured parties on foot of an application by Insp Sean McCarthy who said gardaí were keen to protect the anonymity of the ten year old child.

On that occasion, Det Garda Dermot Crowley said the state would allege that the 47-year-old woman suffered a number of stab wounds to her torso which required her to undergo emergency surgery lasting nine hours.