Two men who attacked a milkman in his house have been jailed for 12 and nine years for assault and robbery by Judge Patrick McCartan at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.
Mr James Mahon was stabbed when the men entered his home at Shankill, Co Dublin, on April 9th, 1999 armed with a gun and a baseball bat.
Michael Tyndall (42), a father of three from Dun Laoghaire, was jailed for 12 years and Derek O'Toole (39), a former Dun Laoghaire Corporation employee from Shankill, was given a nine-year sentence.
Tyndall has 47 previous convictions for robbery and criminal damage and O'Toole has 11 previous convictions for assault, robbery and aggravated burglary. They were convicted on March 9th after a 12-day trial.
Judge McCartan commended Mr Mahon for his bravery and the gardai for bringing two dangerous convicts before the court.
O'Toole attacked Mr Mahon with a baseball bat and Tyndall stabbed him. Mr Mahon told Mr Maurice Gaffney SC, prosecuting, he recognised O'Toole, who took £450.
Mr Mahon said he was with his girlfriend and her brother in his sitting-room when the two masked men forced entry. O'Toole ran upstairs whilst Tyndall kept guard with an air pistol and shouted threats.
Mr Mahon said he had deposited his day's collections in the bank. When he refused to give them his car keys O'Toole rushed at him with a baseball bat. He defended himself with a bottle and got the balaclava off O'Toole, who then ran out of the house.
Mr Mahon said he and his friend stopped Tyndall. They knocked the gun out of his hand and pulled off his mask. Mr Mahon said he felt weak and noticed he was bleeding. He had been stabbed and his lung was punctured. Tyndall then managed to run away.