Limerick man jailed after stabbing man twice during cocaine binge

David Raleigh

A man who stabbed another man during a cocaine fuelled row has been jailed for five years with the final year suspended.

Stephen Byrnes (33) stabbed the victim, Damien Fitzpatrick, in his back and in the right side of his abdomen, during a row over how to use cocaine at Byrnes’ home.

Byrnes, Geraldine House, Gerald Griffin Street, Limerick City, denied one count of assault causing harm, and one count of production of a knife during the assault, however a jury found him guilty of both offences, following a trial at Limerick Circuit Criminal Court.

Prosecuting barrister, John O’Sullivan, told Byrnes’ sentencing hearing that the assault on Mr Fitzpatrick occurred during a “heavy session of drink and drugs” at Byrnes’s home, two years ago.

On November 18th, 2023, Byrnes drove himself, Fitzpatrick, and a female from his home to Kerry to where Fitzpatrick was residing at the time.

They returned to Limerick the same day and went back to Byrnes’s house where “more cocaine was delivered”, said Mr O’Sullivan, BL.

Byrnes and Fitzpatrick had “an argument about how to use the cocaine and Mr Byrnes stabbed Mr Fitzpatrick twice” in the early hours of November 19th.

Gardaí were alerted to the scene and the female who had been with the two men identified Byrnes as the attacker.

When gardaí entered Byrnes’ home they found drugs, drug paraphernalia, and stains of fresh blood.

Byrnes was arrested and he initially denied stabbing Fitzpatrick. Instead, Byrnes claimed he had actually been stabbed.

Byrnes eventually told gardaí he stabbed Fitzpatrick but he claimed he stabbed him in self defence, however this version of events was rejected by the jury at Byrnes’ trial.

Mr O’Sullivan said the prosecution accepted that Byrnes had not set out to stab Fitzpatrick.

The court heard Byrnes had previous convictions, including for assault causing harm, and for production of articles capable of inflicting harm.

Judge Colin Daly said he was satisfied that a headline sentence of five years was appropriate.

The judge said that although there was “little by way of mitigation”, he was reducing Byrnes’ sentence, having heard submissions from his barrister that he had “grown up in a house where drug use was the norm”.

“He had an early addiction to heroin and later crack cocaine and heroin,” the judge said.

In respect of the assault charge, Byrnes was jailed for five years with the final 12 months suspended. He received a three-year sentence for the production of the knife, which is to run concurrent to Byrnes’ four-year sentence.

Byrnes entered a bond of €100, which did not have to be lodged, pledging to engage with a 12-month post-release probation service supervision order and to keep the peace for a year after his release.