Dundalk man attacked former friend with a machete, court heard

A 23 year old local man attacked his former best friend with a machete while he was asleep in bed, seriously injuring the victim’s right arm, Dundalk Circuit Court heard last week.

Dean Dullaghan of Saltown Place, Dundalk was convicted by a jury of assault causing serious harm and aggravated burglary arising out of the incident, at Castleross, Castletown Road, Dundalk on January 23rd 2020.

The victim told gardai he was asleep in his bedroom around 2pm when he was woken up by someone at the end of his bed who began hitting him with what he initially thought was an iron bar before he realized it was a large knife.

When he came around he saw his attacker was Dean Dullaghan who he had grown up with.

They were best mates for years but fell out a few months before the assault.

In a second interview, the victim said the defendant had been hacking at his two feet and cut his right knee and when he raised his right hand up to protect his head, he was struck on the arm with the machete and sustained an injury which he underwent surgery for in Connolly hospital in Blanchardstown, where a treating physician said a recovery of hand function would not be complete.

The court heard Dean Dullaghan had 28 previous convictions.

The Senior defence barrister said his client, who has been in custody on the matter since January 25th 2020, accepts the jury’s verdict and would like to apologise to the injured party.

He added Mr. Dullaghan had a difficult upbringing following the death of his father in a collision in 2005.

He first came to garda attention aged 14 when he began taking street tablets before progressing to cocaine and mixing with the wrong crowd.

The barrister said his client has completed a series of courses while in custody including the Alternatives to Violence programme and argued “There’s a good person in there but it’s not evident from his past”.

Judge Dara Hayes remanded him in continuing custody to February 2nd for finalisation.