Victim of ‘near death’ assault accused of producing weapon

A father of two who survived a “near death experience” in a serious assault in Mullingar last summer has appeared in court charged with producing a machete, criminal damage and distributing a “threatening communication with intent to cause harm”.

Anthony Dinnegan (26) of 48 Austin Friars Street, Mullingar, Westmeath pleaded not guilty to all three offences alleged to have occurred between April and July last year.

At the outset of the hearing, confusion arose over Mr Dinnegan’s date of birth and Sgt Sheila Kenny requested a formal amendment. Having approved that, defence solicitor for Mr Dinnegan, Louis Kiernan said his client would seek a hearing date.

The charges under section 11 of the Firearms and Offensive Weapons Act, 1990 arose from an incident at Dominick Street, Mullingar, on April 10 last, when Mr Dinnegan allegedly produced a machete during a fight.

The following day, Mr Dinnegan was further charged with “distributing or publishing” a threatening communication concerning a named female “with intent to cause harm”.

The third and final charge the accused sought a hearing date for resulted from an alleged incident on July 30, 2024 at 110 Raithín, Ash Road, Mullingar, during which the front windows of a house were damaged.

Judge Bernadette Owens pencilled scheduled a date for November 19 for a two-hour hearing.

The court was told Mr Dinnegan would plead guilty to a section 3 drugs charge following an incident on May 6 last year on Austin Friar Street. Sgt Sheila Kenny said the estimated value of cannabis herb gardaí retrieved on the day was €25.

She added Mr Dinnegan had eight previous convictions, including offences for assault, no insurance and dangerous driving.

Mr Kiernan said his client was in attendance with his partner, with whom he shared two children. He said while there was no disputing Mr Dinnegan’s criminal past, he was intent on steering clear of an further trouble following a “very, very serious” assault he was subjected to last year.

Mr Kiernan said that “near death experience” and becoming a father were stimuli in Mr Dinnegan’s attempts to turn his life around.

Judge Owens said the court was minded to factor in Mr Dinnegan’s guilty plea and the fact the charge was one of possession of a controlled drug for personal use. She offered Mr Dinnegan the opportunity to return to court on January 15 next year with a sum of €300 for St Vincent de Paul.

She said should the accused meet those terms, the court would be willing to deal with the matter under Section 1 (2) of the Probation Act.