Drug addict who held knife to baby during carjacking jailed for eight years
Declan Brennan
A drug addict who held a knife up to a baby during a carjacking has been jailed for eight years and disqualified from driving for 20 years.
Aaron McDermott (33) was “highly intoxicated” when he tried to take the car in which the owner was sitting in the back with his five-year-old daughter and seven-month-old son.
On dashcam footage of the ordeal played in court, McDermott can be heard making slurred threats and shouting while the adult victim begs him to get out, and the children cry and scream.
At one point, the older child cries out, “Please no, don’t do this”.
The owner of the car had half stepped out of the car in an attempt to get his children away from the attack when McDermott drove the car off at speed through a car park before crashing it into a car.
He sustained a fractured ankle from being dragged along and was unable to walk or bear weight for months afterwards.
Witnesses at the scene at Beaumont Hospital in Dublin city came to help, and some of them restrained McDermott.
When gardaí arrived, the defendant, who had taken a combination of ecstasy tablets and alcohol, was slipping in and out of consciousness and was injured.
McDermott of Ratoath Ave., Finglas, Dublin 11, pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to unlawful seizure of a vehicle by force or threat at Beaumont Hospital on April 7th, 2021. He also pleaded guilty to three counts of making threats to kill or cause serious harm to the driver and to the two children.
Further driving offences, including dangerous driving and driving without insurance were taken into account.
Judge Elma Sheahan described the dash cam footage which was played to the court as “harrowing”.
“It portrays a loving and peaceful environment,” she said before McDermott enters the car and causes “terror, distress and fear” to all three occupants which she said was highlighted by the audible crying and screaming.
Judge Sheahan noted that while the evidence suggests that the incident did not last very long – “it represented for those present a protracted period of time”.
The judge noted the emotional trauma caused not only to the man and his children but also to his wife who came out of work to find him crushed on the ground holding their baby in his arms.
Judge Sheahan said that McDermott was disqualified from driving at the time and his previous convictions “demonstrated a disregard of the road traffic laws”.
She accepted that McDermott has had “a very difficult and sad early life”, that his children have multiple difficulties and that he has suffered from addiction. She further accepted that despite his ongoing addiction, he has, “to his credit”, sought treatment over the years to assist him.
Judge Sheahan noted the impact to the man and his family as illustrated by his victim impact statement. She said the man felt the offence had “stripped away their peace of mind and everyday happiness they had possessed prior to this”.
She noted that the family were under financial distress in the aftermath as the man was unable to work due to his injuries, his wife took unpaid leave to care for him and as result their mortgage fell into arrears.
Judge Sheahan said the family had also experienced psychological difficulties, including Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, “terrifying waking hallucinations” for the man and their daughter has been left traumatised.
“Individually and collectively (the offence) had the potential to destroy this family unit,” Judge Sheahan said.
Judge Sheahan imposed a sentence of nine years with the final 12 months suspended on condition that McDermott engage with The Probation Service for 12 months upon his release. She further disqualified him from driving for two consecutive terms of ten years, in relation to the offence of dangerous driving and driving without insurance.
Detective Garda Declan Phelan told Jane Horgan-Jones, prosecuting, that the victim was at the hospital in order to collect his wife at the end of her shift working there. He had moved into the back seat of the car to comfort the infant when McDermott arrived and got into the car.
McDermott had a small knife which he held up to the infant while telling the man to “keep the baby quiet”, the court heard. The man’s daughter became hysterical and was pleading with the attacker not to hurt her.
Dt Gda Phelan said McDermott told the man he would kill them. In the recorded audio, McDermott can be heard slurring “it’s okay, it’s okay” while the children are crying.
After repeatedly begging him to “please go” the victim then is heard telling McDermott “I will kill you”. When the car starts moving the victim begins pleading again with McDermott saying “please please, oh my God, I’ll get out, I’ll get out”.
The older child had unbuckled her seat belt before McDermott drove the car off at speed.
McDermott’s 125 previous convictions include robbery, assault, drink driving, two hit and runs, firearms offences, burglary, resisting arrest and obstruction of a police officer.
Seamus Clarke, defending, told the court that his client was the product of “a broken home” and that he had turned to drugs to cope with multiple suicides including his father, brother and friends.
He said by the age of 17 his client was addicted to cocaine and was also abusing alcohol.
Counsel said McDermott has no memory of these offences and is disgusted with his behaviour on the night.
In a letter to the court McDermott stated: “I am truly disgusted with myself. I take full responsibility for the wrong I have done to this man and his family. I wish I could take it back”.
He asked the court to “leave some light at the end of the tunnel” for him when imposing sentence saying “I am determined to turn over a new leaf. I believe I am a good man who has made wrong decisions”.
