On a knife's edge

Early Wednesday morning on 10 March last, Robert McNamara (35) of St. Patrick’s Park, Carrick-on-Shannon was arrested in Leitrim and brought to Limerick for questioning in Roxboro Garda station over the hijacking of a taxi on 8 March.  McNamara allegedly hired a cab from Carrick-on-Shannon, County Leitrim to Roscommon town, some 25 miles away.  Once there, McNamara reportedly asked to be brought to Limerick, some 95 miles further on.  Not surprisingly, the taxi driver, a man in his 40s from Drumshambo, refused.  At this point, McNamara allegedly produced a knife, threatening the driver.  Over 3 hours later, the pair arrived in Limerick City at 3:30 in the morning.  The hijacker fled the cab on the Bawnmore Road, but not before he allegedly stole the Leitrim taxi driver’s  mobile phone, car keys and €140 in cash.  A women reportedly picked McNamara up in her car shortly afterwards. 

McNamara has a long history of knife crimes. Just over a decade ago, on 16 December 1999, Robert McNamara, then aged 25 and living in Clarina Park, Ballinacurra Weston, stabbed Brian O’Connell, a 22-year old father of 2, in the heart, fatally injuring him.  McNamara and O’Connell, from Doon, County Limerick, had met earlier that day, a Thursday, for the first time, in a pub, where they played pool together and played music on the juke box.  Later they went to the house of O’Connell’s sister, Sineád, to borrow money for more drink.  At this point, McNamara took a steak knife from the sister’s kitchen. 

The two men then travelled to the People’s Park in Pery Square together, climbing over the railings at around 5pm to drink some cans of beer under a park shelter. According to McNamara, they discussed robbing a woman's handbag to get more drinking money. 

As they talked, McNamara said he became uncomfortable with O’Connell, especially when the Doon man asked about McNamara’s facial scars. McNamara said he suddenly felt threatened and stabbed O’Connell.  O’Connell staggered away, managing to climb over the railings of the People’s Park before collapsing at one of the war monuments in Pery Square.   O’Connell died from a single stab wound to the chest that pierced his heart.

The People's Park, Pery Square

After the fatal stabbing, McNamara went to his mother’s house and threw the knife into a neighbour’s garden before turning himself into the Guards at Roxboro Station shortly afterwards.  Previous to this killing, McNamara had 49 convictions. 

At his trial, it emerged that McNamara, who, like Brian O'Connell, was also a father of two, had suffered from sexual abuse when about 10 years old, from a male nurse.  His history of psychiatric problems were not helped by a drink and drugs problem.  Dr Brian McCaffrey, a consultant psychiatrist who testified at the trial stated that,  "If he got real, good counselling to get him to verbalise his feelings he could emerge as a decent young man." McNamara showed his various scars to the jury during the trial – both the scars he received in an assault and the one’s he had inflicted on himself.

On 23 October 2002, Robert McNamara was found not guilty of murder but guilty of manslaughter at the Central Criminal Court, after the jury deliberated over 2 days. In December 2002, Judge Henry Abbott sentenced Robert McNamara to 9 ½ years in jail at the Central Criminal Court.

Though McNamara was originally held on bail after his arrest in December 1999, it seems he was, at some stage, released before his trial in October 2002.  On 20 June 2002, he was arrested again, this time for possession of a kitchen knife on a Limerick street at 1:30 in the morning, and brought to Roxboro Garda Station.

McNamara’s handcuffs were released so he could sign some forms.  However, he became agitated after unsuccessfully trying to contact his mother and sister by phone at the Roxboro Garda station. McNamara then removed a second knife he had concealed in his underpants and threatened Gardaí. McNamara put his fist through a window in the station and actually stabbed himself in the stomach before fleeing the station. He gave himself up shortly afterwards near Roxboro Shopping Centre.  He was charged with 2 counts of possessing a knife, assaulting 6 Gardai and criminal damage. McNamara pleaded guilty to all charges and received two concurrent 6 month sentences. The Sun (12/07/02) ran with the headline, 'MAN ATTACKS COPS WITH KNIFE IN HIS UNDIES'.

McNamara also has an earlier conviction, dating back to 1996, for knife crime.  On 3 may 1996, McNamara attacked a man and a woman on Catherine Street with a handyman’s knife.  McNamara initially failed to turn up for his court hearing and a bench warrant was issued. After McNamara pleaded guilty in Limerick’s District Court, Judge Michael Reilly, now the Inspector of Prisons, jailed McNamara, then just 21 and living in O’Malley Park, Southill, to 33 months and directed that he should receive psychiatric treatment.