Man held knife to baby’s throat and threatened him, court hears

An 18-month prison sentence has been imposed on a man who threatened his baby son, held a knife to the child’s throat and told other family members “you’ll never see him again”.

Sean Power (24), Manor Street, Waterford, pleaded guilty at Clonmel Circuit Court to making a threat to his mother that he would kill or injure his 18-month-old son at his former address at Treacy Park, Carrick-on-Suir, Co Tipperary.

He received a five-year sentence for this offence, with 3½ years suspended, and also received lesser sentences for assaulting his former partner, Louise Gahon, and assaulting his mother's partner, Francis Walsh, on the same occasion, September 30th last. Charges relating to making threats to gardaí were not proceeded with by the State.

The court heard that gardaí responded to a row at Treacy Park between Power and his mother and girlfriend. During the row, the father-of-two had run upstairs and grabbed his 18-month-old son from bed, and returned downstairs.

He then opened the door of a stove and told those present, “You’ll never see him again, say goodbye”. He assaulted Mr Walsh three times on the back of the head.

Large knife

Power then went into the kitchen, “grabbed a large knife and threatened to kill himself”, Sgt Kieran O’Regan told the court. “He held it up to his son’s throat.”

At about 12.45am, he was arrested. While being transported by gardaí, he said that when he got out he would “bury a hatchet in Francis” and kill him. He also told one of the gardaí, “I’ll do you and the other guard and your families” and it would “only take two phone calls” for him to find out where the gardaí lived.

Power said they would “sort this out” when the gardaí were out of uniform and that he would “get off” as he only had to say he went into a diabetic coma and could not remember anything.

The court heard that Power had type 1 diabetes since childhood and was insulin dependent, had started smoking cannabis at the age of 11 and had consumed drink on the night of this incident. He also had a claim before the Redress Board as a result of something that happened to him as a child.

Judge Thomas Teehan ordered Power to give "irrevocable authority" to his solicitor to provide €5,000 from any redress payment received from the Redress Board for his children. He also ordered him to stay away from his former partner and other injured parties in the case.