A 30-year-old Irish man has been jailed for two and half years after he violently attacked an 86-year-old woman with dementia. His defence lawyer told the court he thought his victim was a pedophile dressed as a woman.
Warning: This story has details of a violent attack which might be distressing to some readers. For 24-hour crisis support and suicide prevention call Lifeline on 13 11 14. For Australia-wide LGBTQI peer support call QLife on 1800 184 527 or webchat.
Alex Bailey pleaded guilty in Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to assaulting the woman and causing her harm. He was also admitted to charges of false imprisonment and robbery.
The court heard that the attack occurred in September 2022 when Bailey knocked Marie McGowan to the ground, before putting her head in the a wheelie bin while applying pressure to the lid, he then punched and kicked her in the head.
The two met when McGowan became lost late one night, she met Bailey around 2am in the morning. CCTV footage showed he sporadically assaulted the woman over a 42 minute period. She later told the Garda (Irish police) that she thought she was going to die.
After the attach she was treated for a fractured nose and blood loss. Her family told the court that she had a significantly reduced quality of life.
Bailey’s lawyers said their client had been suffering from an induced psychosis after ingesting a significant number of intoxicants, which had led him to the delusional belief that the elderly women was a male pedophile in disguise.
Bailey will serve two and half years in prison and face a number of conditions upon his release. Once he is out of prison he will not be required to abstain from drugs and alcohol from a period of two years and attend an addiction centre for one year.
Rhetoric claiming that transgender people are sexual predators in disguise has increased significantly in recent years.
OIP Staff
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