Granny stabbed in the back of the head while walking through Dublin City Centre
A grandmother was walking through Dublin City Centre having just seen the switching on of the Christmas lights when randomly and “without warning” she was “struck violently from behind” with a seven-inch knife, which “passed through” the back of her head, the Central Criminal Court has heard.Gretta McCullough said in her victim impact statement today, which was read to the court by a garda, that the impact felt like a brick being smashed into the back of her head and she had “no time to react, no opportunity to defend myself and no understanding at first of what happened”.She added: “Almost immediately I became aware of an unnatural and deeply distressing sensation as a knife penetrated the back of my head on one side and exited through the other. The blade passed through the back of my head”. The victim described the “random” attack as “silent, sudden and terrifying”. “I did not see my attacker. I did not provoke the attack. I was simply walking with my husband,” she added. Crime Wrap Wednesday December 17 Still in shock and “not fully comprehending the severity” of her injuries, she said she removed the knife herself and handed it to her husband, telling him she had been stabbed. She said the defendant had initially attempted to retrieve the knife, which was “firmly embedded” in her head but then ran away. The woman said in her statement that the violent attack has: “permanently altered my sense of safety, my independence and my understanding of my own mortality.”The court heard Darragh Quigley, who was diagnosed with schizophrenia and had ceased to comply with his medication regime at the time of the offence, told gardai in interviews that he had gone into town with a knife “with a plan of hunting someone and had to follow through”. When officers asked the defendant why “that woman”, Quigley replied: “I didn’t know her face, her story, I didn’t know anything about her, it was purely random”. Last month, Quigley (26) of Carndonagh Road, Donaghmede, north Dublin pleaded guilty to the attempted murder of Gretta McCullough (64) on November 16, 2023 at Chatham Row, Dublin 2.At today’s sentence hearing, Garda Aine Hogan detailed the background of the event, telling John Griffin BL, prosecuting, that Quigley was seen following Ms McCullough and her husband from the Powerscourt Centre onto Chatham Row around 9.45pm on November 16. Gda Hogan said Quigley had lunged at Ms McCullough in “a forceful swinging motion” and put a seven-inch knife through the back of her head, which entered on the left-hand side and exited on the right hand-side of the neck. The officer said the defendant had fled the scene and was arrested the following day.Gda Hogan told the court that Ms McCullough is originally from Northern Ireland and that she and her husband had moved to Australia when she was 20 years of age. The officer said the victim returned to Ireland six months prior to this incident, settling in Westport and had come to Dublin City Centre on November 16 to see the Christmas lights being turned on. The garda said the couple had started to walk back to a hotel they were staying in and had turned onto Chatham Row when she felt a “big bang” to her head. “She said it felt like a brick and she hadn’t seen the assailant behind her,” said the witness. Ms McCullough’s husband, the garda said, had looked at Quigley and asked ‘what was that for?’. The officer said her husband didn’t realise what had happened at the time and thought the defendant had bumped into his wife, trying to get by.Mr Griffin noted that the victim had put her hands up to the back of her head, felt the handle of the knife sticking out on the left hand side and pulled it out. When she pulled the knife out Ms McCullough realised her head was throbbing and needed to go to hospital. The victim gave the knife to her husband and he held it until she got to a local pub nearby. Gda Hogan said the victim was brought to St James Hospital, where she had the “superficial” incised wound - which was 1cm in depth - treated and closed by a suture. The victim was discharged from hospital that night but returned the following morning due to a headache and nausea. Another laceration located at the right lower area of her neck turned out to be the exit wound, said the officer. Counsel said Ms McCullough didn’t require any inpatient treatment and made a full recovery. Gardai launched an investigation and the defendant was arrested at his father’s house and brought to Pearse Street Garda Station. In his first interview with gardai, Quigley told gardai he had assaulted somebody but that “it wasn’t premeditated, it was random”. He said he had put the kitchen knife, which belonged to his father, in his pocket and gone into town. Quigley told officers he had spent the last few months watching pornography and “rotting away”. He said he felt genuine remorse for what he had done and when he realised the gravity of what happened “there was nothing worse”. Quigley, the court heard, has no previous convictions but had come to garda attention on a number of occasions for mental health issues. In her statement, Ms McCullough said the unprovoked and random nature of the attack has fundamentally damaged her “sense of personal security”.“I did nothing to contribute to this offence. I was engaged in a lawful, ordinary activity when my life was almost taken without warning”.She said the incident had shattered “what should have been a joyful chapter of my life, returning home to Ireland after many years abroad. Instead of memories of celebration and belonging, that evening is now defined by violence and trauma”. Gda Hogan agreed with Padraig Dwyer SC, defending, that his client initially said in interview that he had gone into town with the intention to kill. However, he later said he wanted to cause harm and that he didn’t mean he had an intention to kill.When put to the witness that this was a random attack on a person and there was no evidence to say he was stalking the victim, Gda Hogan said the defendant had brought a knife into town so there had been premeditation. The garda agreed the victim had been “picked at random”.In his submissions to the court, Mr Dwyer said Quigley had psychiatric treatment over the years and was diagnosed with a borderline personality disorder and obsessive compulsive disorder. Psychiatric reports read into the record said the defendant had experienced multiple delusional beliefs and had been diagnosed with bipolar affective disorder. Mr Dwyer said it was found that his client didn’t meet the criteria for a mental disorder when he was assessed in March 2024 but that he should continue taking his antipsychotic medication.Counsel said a doctor found that Quigley had not been taking his prescribed medication for some time before the offence and the chances of this attack happening would have been reduced if he had been. Mr Dwyer submitted that whilst this was an atrocious attack which could have had fatal consequences, it was not a significant or life changing injury. A letter was handed up to the court from the defendant, who said he wanted to express sincere remorse for his actions and that he understood the gravity of what he had done and the pain he had caused. Mr Justice Paul Burns called the incident “a truly shocking and extremely serious offence” and said it would take some time to consider the appropriate sentence. He remanded Quigley in custody today until January 19, when he will be sentenced.
