Cork man jailed for threatening to kill his partner’s grandfather

A Cork man who threatened to kill his partner’s grandfather and smashed a window at his house in a violent rage has been sent to prison.

Inspector Roisín O’Dea told Skibbereen District Court that John O’Driscoll, aged 22, of Mardyke Drive, Skibbereen, denied threatening to kill Philip Rees and damaging his property in Skibbereen, West Cork.

Mr Rees told the court he was walking his dog along the riverwalk in the town on July 22, 2025, when he passed O’Driscoll, who was riding an e-scooter. Mr Rees said he told O’Driscoll to “stop threatening my daughter”, to which O’Driscoll replied he was going to to beat up Mr Rees’ daughter and kill her.

Mr Rees said his daughter Veronica texted him at 6.30am the next day and said she was going to call to her own daughter, Elsie Rees, who lived and was in a relationship with O’Driscoll, before calling to him (Philip Rees). 

Mr Rees said as he was making her a cup of tea, O’Driscoll and his mother Helen arrived at the house and began banging on the door and shouting threats.

Mr Rees said they were “throwing themselves at the front door”, tried to break the kitchen window, and threatened to kill him and his daughter. 

He said he showed the O’Driscolls a hatchet he used for chopping wood through the window to warn them off. The court was told the O’Driscolls then smashed a window beside the front door before leaving in a car.

Veronica Rees told the court she had gone to O’Driscoll’s house to speak to her daughter, Elsie Rees, who was in a relationship with O’Driscoll. She said O’Driscoll had told her: “I hope the cancer kills you slowly.”

Elsie Rees told the court her grandfather had called her partner a “k******” because he was a member of the Travelling community. She believed her grandfather and mother did not approve of her being in a relationship with a Traveller. 

 O’Driscoll denied knowing Mr Rees and denied being at his house or smashing the window.

Judge Joanne Carroll said she found Mr Rees to be a credible witness and  did not accept he would break his own window, as had been alleged. 

The court heard O’Driscoll had 11 previous convictions, including for criminal damage, threats to kill, and sale or supply of drugs. The court also heard O’Driscoll was  on a three-month suspended sentence at the time of the incident for another threat to kill.

He was sentenced to six months in prison for threatening to kill or cause harm contrary to Section 5 of the Non-Fatal Offences Against the Person Act, 1997. 

He was also sentenced to six months in prison for criminal damage, and three months for threatening and abusive behaviour, the sentences to run concurrently. O’Driscoll was also ordered to pay €200 in compensation to fix the broken window.

His mother, Helen O’Driscoll, aged 55, of Mardyke Drive, Skibbereen, pleaded guilty to threatening to kill and threatening and abusive behaviour. 

The court heard she had seven previous convictions, all for road traffic offences. She was remanded on continuing bail to appear on April 28 for the production of a probation report.

This article is funded by the Courts Reporting Scheme