An 18-month prison sentence has been imposed on a man who threatened his own baby son, held a knife to the baby’s throat and told other family members “you’ll never see him again”.
Sean Power, aged 24, with an address at Manor Street, Waterford, pleaded guilty at Clonmel Circuit Court to making a threat to his own mother that he would kill or injure his 18-month-old son at his former address at 64 Treacy Park, Carrick-on-Suir, Co Tipperary.
He received a five-year sentence for this offence, with three-and-a-half years suspended, and also received lesser sentences for assaulting his former partner Louise Gahan and assaulting his mother’s partner Francis Walsh on the same occasion, September 30 last. Charges relating to making threats to gardai were not proceeded with by the State, on the basis that the facts of those would also be outlined.
The court heard on Tuesday morning that a report of a “domestic incident” at 64 Treacy Park was reported to gardai in Carrick at about 12.25am on September 30.
During the row, father-of-two Mr Power had run upstairs and grabbed his 18-month-old son from bed, and returned downstairs. He then opened the door of a stove and told those present “you’ll never see him again, say goodbye”. He assaulted Francis Walsh three times on the back of the head.
Sean Power then went into the kitchen, “grabbed a large knife and threatened to kill himself,” Sgt Kieran O’Regan told the court. “He held it up to his son’s throat."
While being transported by the gardai, he said that when he got out he would “bury a hatchet in Francis” and kill him. He also told one of the gardai, “I’ll do you and the other guard and your families” and it would “only take two phone calls” for him to find out where the gardai lived.
The court heard that Power had type-one diabetes since childhood and was insulin dependent, had started smoking cannabis at the age of 11 and also had consumed drink on the night of this incident. He also had a claim before the Redress Board as a result of something that happened to him as a child.
Power told gardai that he opened the stove on the night because he was cold, and never had any intention of harming his child.
A victim impact statement made by Louise Gahan and read out in court said she didn’t feel safe anymore, felt “vulnerable” and “weak” and was unable to trust people.
Robert Sheahan SC, defending, said Sean Power had at various times in the past failed to take his insulin and this made him “volatile and irate,” by his own admission.
Judge Thomas Teehan ordered the defendant to give “irrevocable authority” to his solicitor to provide €5,000 from any redress payment received from the Redress Board for his children. He also ordered him to stay away from his former partner and other injured parties in the case.
