Young mother jailed for role in unprovoked attack on homeless man

A young mother has been jailed for acting as a lookout and joining in on a savage unprovoked attack in which a man “danced” on the head of an elderly homeless man.

Rachel Keogh (24) kicked the victim at least five times while her co-accused stamped on the man's head and chest more than 10 times. She later told gardaí­ they stopped the attack only when they thought he was dead.

Keogh was jailed for one year on Friday. Her then boyfriend was jailed for three years last April.

In April 2014, Keogh, of Casino Park, Marino, Dublin, pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to robbery of Noel Quinn at Inn's Quays on November 29th, 2011.

Keogh failed to appear for sentencing on July 1st, 2014, and a bench warrant was issued. She was not arrested until this month, when she came to the attention of gardaí­ for other matters despite having lived at her known address throughout that period.

Judge Mary Ellen Ring said there were "serious questions over the failure of someone to execute a warrant for over a year" in relation to a serious robbery.

The judge said Mr Quinn was a “defenceless man who not trying to do anything but sleep”. She said he did not want to provide a victim-impact statement and is no longer homeless.

At a previous hearing Garda Paul Cullen told barrister Maurice Coffey that the victim was sleeping rough at about midnight inside the pillars of the Four Courts building and was in his sleeping bag with his arms inside.

Keogh and her boyfriend walked by the victim and the male asked him for a cigarette before launching into the attack.

The victim later told gardaí­: “He kept stamping on my face. He was dancing on my face and chest. I couldn’t believe it.”

During the assault Keogh looked up and down the street while the assault continued and joined in by kicking him. The attack stopped for a short time but the male attacker then came back to the victim and began punching and kicking the man again.

He took €45 from the victim, which was all the money he had, the court heard.

The attack was recorded on CCTV cameras and the pair were identified. Keogh told gardaí­ that the attack stopped because they believed the man was dead and they ran away.

She told gardaí­ that during the attack the victim was choking on his blood and that blood was coming out of his mouth and nose.

Mr Coffey said that despite the savagery of the assault the victim sustained only minor injuries.

Kathleen Leader, defending, said the mother of one was under the influence of her co-accused, who has 168 previous convictions and a propensity for violence.

Keogh has 13 previous convictions, including for theft, trespass and handling stolen property.

The judge said Keogh had a history of not co-operating with probation services. Suspending the last year of a two-year sentence, she ordered Keogh to co-operate with services and submit to urine analysis for 12 months after her release.