Dublin man (43) refused bail after knife and hatchet attack in homeless hostel

Tom Tuite

A 43-year-old man accused of carrying out a knife and hatchet attack on a fellow resident at a homeless accommodation service in Dublin has been remanded in custody.

Stephen Crosbie was charged with assault causing harm to the injured man who was stabbed on Wednesday at the Peter McVerry Trust house on the New Cabra Road in the city's north side.

He was refused bail by Judge Cephas Power at Dublin District Court.

Garda Aileen Deely told Judge Power the accused made no reply when charged with the offence, which can carry a 10-year sentence.

She objected to bail due to the seriousness of the allegations, as well as concerns about witness intimidation and the accused's potential to fail to appear in court.

Garda Deely stated that the victim suffered multiple stab wounds which resulted in a punctured right kidney, knife injuries to his leg and back, and a blow to his head with a hatchet.

The court heard it was believed the alleged attack stemmed from a debt owed by the injured resident to Mr Crosbie, who had lent him €200 earlier, after which €100 was repaid.

It was claimed that due to the amount outstanding, there was a row, and Mr Crosbie went to his own room and returned with a hatchet and a knife and began attacking the other resident in a hallway.

He allegedly began swinging the knife, and then hatchet, striking him on the forehead.

The man was taken to the Mater Hospital for emergency surgery, and the accused was arrested in the vicinity. The bail hearing was told there was CCTV footage of the incident, and the garda expected that the case would ultimately be sent to the Circuit Court, which has greater sentencing powers.

The court heard he was verbally abusive and threatened to throw urine on officers after being brought to a local Garda station.

Defence solicitor Murrough O'Rourke suggested that the judge could impose strict conditions.

He added Mr Crosbie was from Dublin, his parents were dead, and he had one sibling in the city and "is not going to go anywhere".

The garda said no terms would alleviate her concerns; one of them was that the two men could end up coming across each other in another hostel in the city.

Mr O'Rourke suggested his client could be ordered to stay away from specific homeless services.

Judge Power said the defence made a reasonable argument against the witness intimidation and failure to appear in court fears.

However, he held that the difficulty was the other basis – the seriousness of the charge – cited by Garda Deely, adding that the extent of the injuries could not be overestimated.

He denied Mr Crosbie, who has yet to indicate a plea, bail and remanded him in custody pending direction from the Director of Public Prosecutions. He will appear at Cloverhill District Court on Tuesday. Legal aid was granted.