A Polish man who left a young Tipperary journalist fighting for her life after he stabbed her through the neck during an attempted robbery in Dublin has been jailed for seven years by Judge Patrick McCartan.
Leszek Jarosz (22), who had been in Ireland just three weeks, changed his bloodstained clothes after the attack on Mairead O'Dwyer before later robbing two men who were able to help gardai identify him.
Jarosz, with an address at The Mills, Weavers Square, The Coombe, pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court. to intentionally or recklessly causing serious harm to Ms O'Dwyer and to attempting to rob her on May 19, 2007.
He also admitted to robbing Jose Gonzalez, a Spaniard and Luka Martinacon, a Croatian on the same night.
Judge McCartan noted that Jarosz referred to hearing "voices" before the attack when interviewed by gardai but no psychiatric condition had been diagnosed either here or in Poland where he had given a similar account after a burglary in which he had fractured a man's skull by hitting him with a metal object.
He imposed seven years for causing serious harm to Ms O'Dwyer and three years concurrent for the two other robberies.