Tourist was attacked with machete while a group called him “damned immigrants”, the court said

A tourist who was hit at least three times with a machete in a brutal attack in Dublin city centre was lucky not to bleed to death, a court heard.

The visitor, who had just arrived from France, was attacked by a group of men, one of whom called him a “bloody immigrant”, Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard.

John Hogan (33) was sentenced to five and a half years in prison by Judge Martin Nolan, who described the attack as “particularly brutal”.

Hogan, of no fixed abode, pleaded guilty to assault occasioning death in Talbot Street, Dublin 1, on 26 November last year.

He also admitted to pulling out a machete on the same occasion.

Sentencing on Thursday, Judge Nolan imposed a maximum sentence of eight years, saying the assault was “at the top end of the scale” for this type of offence.

“This man was minding his own business when he was jostled and struck several times with a machete, a dangerous deadly weapon. He lost a lot of blood and lost consciousness. He could have bled to death. Fortunately, no vital artery or vein was damaged,” the judge said.

Judge Nolan said if the victim had died, the level of intent for a murder case would have been met.

“You certainly had the intention to cause him serious harm. They were powerful blows that cut into the leg and toward the bone,” the judge told Hogan.

Judge Nolan added that the victim was “quite frightened” and was now “living with that trauma”.

“I suspect he will not come back to this country,” the judge said.

The victim, originally from Moldova but living in Paris for 17 years, had arrived in Ireland that morning for the weekend to meet a friend who had travelled from Amsterdam.

attack

Garda Seán Dineen told Aoife O’Leary BL, prosecuting, that the two friends had become separated and the victim was found in Talbot Street at around 9pm.

He went into a store to buy a bottle of water and stepped aside to let a group of men pass who had been shouting at various people on the street.

The victim later told police that the group pushed him against a wall and surrounded him and that one of them struck him with a blade.

He said it happened very quickly, but he kept his hands down and tried to calm the situation, saying first in French and then in English that he was a tourist, the court heard.

One of the men shouted that he was a “damn immigrant” and called out to Hogan, who attacked the victim with the machete.

The victim described the machete as being like a sword, but wider and shorter, over 40cm long and very shiny and polished. “I have never seen anything sharper,” he told the gardaí.

The man feared for his life and felt his shoes filling with blood. He knew he needed help immediately before he lost consciousness.

He lost consciousness and woke up. When he awoke, paramedics attempted to resuscitate him before he was taken by ambulance to the Mater Hospital.

Three separate surveillance camera clips were shown in court, showing the attack from different angles, including from above.

The man had to undergo surgery to close and clean two deep wounds on his right leg and spent several days in hospital, the court heard.

He declined to give a victim impact statement but told police he was still suffering from trauma and worried about whether he would ever feel safe again.

Traveling was a hobby for the victim, the court said. He used to travel a lot around Europe, but felt that this had now been taken away from him. He did not know whether he would travel again.

Hogan was identified through surveillance footage, but said nothing of evidentiary value during questioning.

The machete was found in a hostel in the city center.

Hogan has already been convicted 29 times in district court, including for knife possession, theft and misdemeanors.

Defence lawyer John Moher BL said it was clear from the footage that it was a brutal attack and that little or nothing could be said in his defence.

The lawyer said Hogan wrote a letter of apology that was “small consolation” to the injured party.

The court heard that Hogan had a history of alcohol and drug addiction but had undergone treatment.

Mr Moher said when Hogan was stable, he was involved in voluntary work.

Hogan had a successful career as a bricklayer and driver for a large supermarket chain, the court said. He also had five children aged between three and 15.

The sentence was dated retroactively to December 30, 2023, when Hogan was imprisoned for this offense.