Man who brutally attacked two strangers in Donegal begs for their forgiveness

Stephen Maguire

A young Co Donegal man who carried out two separate attacks on complete strangers said he is ashamed of what he did and asked his victims for forgiveness.

John McGinley, 20, stabbed one man in the ear and neck as he waited for a taxi and also beat up a pensioner who was out for an early morning walk.

McGinley had appeared at Letterkenny Circuit Court for sentencing after pleading guilty to both savage attacks.

Probation report

However, a probation report on the accused man said he has been placed at a high-risk of reoffending.

He is already serving a three and a half year sentence for slashing a man in the face with a knife outside a fast-food restaurant in Letterkenny in April, 2022.

The court was previously told that McGinley had been taking drugs since the age of eleven and also suffered from psychiatric issues having lost a number of members of his family.

Garda Sergeant Maurice Doyle outlined the latest charges against McGinley whom the court was told has six previous convictions.

In the first incident on October 31st, 2022, McGinley attacked a stranger who was waiting for a taxi on Letterkenny's Main Street.

Patrick Durning had gone socialising after earlier playing golf in Portsalon and was waiting to get a taxi home.

He was trying to flag down a taxi when he felt two young males stand either side of him.

He suddenly felt a "pinch" on his ear and felt a wet release down his neck before realising that blood was splurting out of his ear and neck.

The terrified victim didn't know if he had been stabbed with a bottle or a knife and ran across the road when he spotted gardaí and told them what had happened.

He was rushed by ambulance to Letterkenny University Hospital where he was given emergency treatment for a stab wound to both his near and neck.

Gardaí arrived on the scene and McGinley was identified as a suspect and found a short distance away on the town's Port Road with a glass bottle in his hand.

He was intoxicated and became highly aggressive and abusive when approached by gardaí and had to be pepper-sprayed and restrained as he was arrested. When searched, a knife was found on McGinley, which was seized.

When interviewed, McGinley, of Glenwood Park in Letterkenny, made no admissions and said he didn't see anyone being assaulted but did identify himself on CCTV footage shown to him by gardaí.

Victim impact statement

McGinley's victim, Patrick Durning, gave a harrowing victim impact statement telling how he became depressed and could not get out of bed or socialise after the attack.

He added that he felt fear when he went into Letterkenny and that his confidence had plummeted as he was a big man and was supposed to be able to protect himself and his family.

He said he finds it hard to be alone in public and although he knows how lucky he is to be alive, he thinks about the incident and how he stood on the street holding his bleeding neck and how this could have been the end of his life.

Second attack

McGinley's second brutal attack was committed against a 70-year-old pensioner who was out for an early morning stroll at 5.45am at Glenwood Park in Letterkenny on June 16th, 2023.

The court was told that James Doheny was out on his housing estate with his partner hoping to catch a glimpse of the Red Moon.

As he walked along a young man approached him and asked the elderly man if he lived on the estate and said that he knew Mr Doheny.

The young man suddenly threw a punch at Mr Doheny who managed to duck but was then hit with a punch in the kidneys and he dropped to the ground.

When he was on the ground the young man then kicked him in the head forcing the man to cover his face but not before another kick was delivered hitting him in the hand as he protected his face.

Mr Doheny's partner began to scream loudly and the attacker ran off.

Gardaí were called and a description of the attacker was given while CCTV from the area was also harvested from the area.

Just after 6am, Gardaí encountered McGinley at Ballymacool and he said he had been out walking to the shops.

His clothing was blood-stained and he claimed he had cut it on a garden gate earlier.

In his victim impact statement, Mr Doheny said he had called Glenwood his home for more than three decades and had raised a family of five children there.

Before he was brutally beaten he revealed he was recovering from a stroke and this incident had severely impacted his recovery.

He added that he felt terrified and helpless that he could not defend himself or his partner and that the attack has taken a serious toll on his mental health as he now suffers from anxiety.

Barrister for the accused, Mr Colm Smyth, SC, said his client was well known to the Judge and to the court.

He outlined McGinley's struggle with drugs from an early age and the loss of various family members which led to his dysfunctional life and which led to him self-harming himself.

Solicitor for McGinley, Mr Rory O'Brien took further instructions and the accused agreed to engage with the Probation Services as well as undergoing other treatment.

Judge Aylmer said he was anxious to assist McGinley given his young age and "not withstanding these appalling offences."

Barrister Colm Smyth, SC, said a probation and welfare report had been compiled on his client which found he did pose a serious risk of reoffending.

However, he stressed that the crimes were committed while McGinley was intoxicated on tablets and alcohol.

He pointed to the death of an uncle and the loss of an ex-girlfriend and said that McGinley also had a significant use of cocaine.

He said Mr McGinley was now aged 20 years and needed some light at the end of the tunnel adding that he reverted to substance abuse because he did not have a structured life.

The accused man took to the witness stand and said he would like to apologise for his actions saying he was "ashamed" and that he hoped his victims could accept his apologies.

The court was also told that McGinley had an appointment to see a drugs counsellor while in prison.

Judge John Aylmer said he would need time to deliberate on the "totality principle" of the sentence and adjourned the final sentencing until next week.