A MAN has been warned he risks “spending the rest of his life in jail” unless he changes his ways after attempting to steal a van and ‘seriously injuring’ the driver with a knife.
Rory John O’Leary, 25 and whose address was given as Belben Road, Alderney, appeared before Bournemouth Crown Court for sentencing on Friday, December 16.
He was handed a jail sentence totalling more than five years after previously pleading guilty to four offences - possession of a controlled substance, possession of a bladed article, affray, and attempted robbery.
His victim, Simon Booth, has been left unable to return to work or tie up his shoelaces.
On the morning of October 3 of this year, O’Leary approached Mr Booth who had stopped in his work van at a pedestrian crossing in Bournemouth. O’Leary requested a lift which was declined by Mr Booth before the defendant produced a stanley knife and shouted “give me your ******* van”.
O’Leary then “slashed” at his victim with the knife, causing injury, before Mr Booth was able to drive off to his house nearby.
Mr Booth sustained a 10cm laceration from the bottom of his forefinger to the bottom of his palm and has been left ‘unable to drive, play with his kids, or tie up his shoelaces’.
This incident was witnessed by a woman, known to the defendant, who was at a nearby park playing with her children. The court heard, after attempting to steal the vehicle, O’Leary approached the witness with the knife still in his possession and said words to the effect of ‘don’t worry I won’t hurt the kids’.
In a victim impact statement, the driver of the van said the incident had caused him considerable pain and left his family facing financial difficulty.
He said he had predominantly worked as a car mechanic and, more recently, as a builder. The victim said if he wasn’t able to return to this work then he ‘didn’t know how he would provide income’ for his family that includes an autistic teenage son and a young baby.
Mr Evans, mitigating, said he accepted that a ‘significant injury’ had been caused but asked the judge, Recorder Tait, to impose a ‘merciful sentence’.
He said O’Leary had experienced a ‘difficult upbringing that had normalised violence’ and was going through ‘suicidal ideations’ at the time of the offending.
The court heard O’Leary had a ‘serious history' of violent crimes.
In sentencing, Recorder Don Tait told O’Leary: “This is a serious offence. You have caused serious injury to an innocent man. You have a bad record. You were severely intoxicated at the time and you have, you say, no real recollection of what happened.
“If you carry on like this you’ll end up in prison for most of your life.”
O’Leary was sentenced to five years and three months in prison with Recorder Tait telling the defendant he ‘needed to get off drugs’.
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