Donegal man who assaulted elderly woman jailed for 10 months

A thug who pushed a small 84-year-old woman off the footpath so that she ended up on her back on the road with shoulder and knee injuries has been jailed for 10 months.
He was also jailed for assaulting a middle-aged woman and a male tourism coach-driver on another night.
Donegal District Court was told the middle aged woman, Mary Gallagher, was on her way to bingo with her son when 22-year-old Dylan Kilpatrick hit her in the back with a thrown beer-can.
On the same night last August 18 in Donegal town a drunk Kilpatrick elbowed coach-driver Pat Terry in the street in Donegal town.
Sgt Oliver Devaney told the court that nearly two months earlier on June 24 the 84-year-old, Betty Feely, who was walking with her sister Gay Hughes, was more seriously assaulted in The Diamond in the town.
Sgt Devaney said that assault happened after Kilpatrick, walking on the footpath with a pint-glass half-filled, shouted at the sisters to get out of his way.
Ms Feely, a former teacher, was very distressed and now had a fear of walking alone, and had occasional flashbacks to the incident.
The court heard that Kilpatrick, of Clardrummond, Donegal town, knew none of his victims. He also, at Drumrooske, Donegal town, smashed a window in the home of Gerard Hegarty. That happened after the defendant’s dog and a dog inside the house started barking at each other and Kilpatrick shouted at Mr Hegarty to quieten his dog.
Judge Kevin Kilrane was told that Kilpatrick, who admitted the offences as well as one charge of drugs possession, had 24 previous convictions including a number of suspended jail sentences imposed in 2015.
The judge said: “The message must be sent out this kind of activity must be stopped.
“He was on a binge and assaulting people left, right and centre, including assaulting a woman by throwing a beer can at her.”