THE "black sheep" of a Cork family who was extradited from England has been jailed for assaulting an elderly man during a robbery attempt in 1993.
Henry Paul Barrett (36), single, of Maglin Grove, Togher, was seen by Garda Pat Fleming through the window of the house assaulting Mr Anthony Brady (69). He pleaded guilty to assault occasioning actual bodily harm on the late Mr Brady on October 14th, 1993.
Dublin Circuit Criminal Court was told Mr Brady, who lived at Clifton View, Ballintemple, has since died from unrelated natural causes.
Barrett had 25 previous convictions. He received seven year sentences in 1981 and 1983 for burglary, larceny and assault. He absconded before his trial on the 1993 offence and was jailed in England in January 1995 for conspiracy to commit burglary.
Judge Kieran O'Connor jailed Barrett for three years and seven months and told him he would have imposed a 10 year sentence if the law allowed it because breaking into a man's house and then assaulting him was one of the most serious offences he could commit.
He said Barrett was "a very fortunate man" to have accepted the advice of his counsel, Ms Marie Torrens, to plead guilty. The maximum sentence for the charge was five years in prison and he had to get some credit due to his plea.
Sergeant Pat Lehane told prosecuting counsel Mr Pat McCarthy the motive for the assault by Barrett and his co accused, Aiden Joseph O'Connor, was robbery.
He arrived at the scene after Garda Fleming called for assistance. Barrett answered the door and both men were arrested. Mr Brady's face was swollen and bloodied and he recovered slowly in hospital. His nose was also broken.
Ms Torrens described Barrett as, "the black sheep" of a large family. He had remained drug free in custody and was anxious to serve his sentence in a drug free section of prison.