Andrew Carey
A WHEELCHAIR-bound Cerebral Palsy sufferer has told a court that the only reason he was robbed of €80 by a 24-year-old woman was because he was seen as an “easy target”.
Belinda O’Sullivan, of no fixed abode, admitted robbing the disabled man of cash from a bag he hung around his neck at Limerick’s Lord Edward Street on May 25, 2014.
Detective Garda Niall Fitzgerald said the man, who has multiple disabilities including a requirement to use speech assistance technology, was found in a traumatised state.
Ms O’Sullivan, who was with another woman, had offered to tie his shoe laces but snatched the cash from a bag on his lap. She also admitted slapping the man.
In his victim impact statement, the man outlined the psychological consequences suffered by him as a consequence of the robbery.
He said he was “slowly building his confidence again” and the offender thought he was an easy target because he was in a wheelchair.
With 101 previous convictions including assaults, thefts, robberies and the possession of a knife and articles with the intent of causing harm, Ms O’Sullivan also has a previous conviction for assaulting a Garda and threatening to kill another person.
Defence counsel Laurence Goucher, said his client had a “well documented troubled life”, and was essentially homeless since her teens. She was doing her very best to try and get back on track.
Judge Tom O’Donnell released her on bail to May 5 for sentencing.
