Saturday 31 October 2026Compiled from published reports. Every claim links to its source.

Ireland Crime

Every case followed from the first report to the sentence, or to where the reporting stopped.

Case No. 21184Robbery

Pair jailed for handbag robbery of 93-year-old woman

On 9 November 2022, around 4:30pm, two men robbed a 93-year-old woman on Charlemont Terrace, off Wellington Road in Cork city, after she collected her pension at St Luke's post office. She was knocked to the ground and dragged along the road while holding her handbag, and she suffered multiple pelvic fractures. Damian Fitzgerald, 35 (one report says 34), and Damian Long, 32, both of addresses in Cork, were arrested on 12 November 2022 and charged with robbery on 14 November 2022. Both men pleaded guilty at Cork Circuit Criminal Court in April 2023, and on 9 May 2023 Judge Helen Boyle jailed each of them for nine years, backdated to 14 November.

  1. Reportednot reported
  2. Arrestednot reported
  3. Chargednot reported
  4. In courtnot reported
  5. Convicted24 Apr
  6. Sentenced9 May
    6 reports
reportedhappened, not reportedlatest stagenot yet

Key facts

consolidated from all reports
What happened
  • Two men knocked a 93-year-old woman to the ground and dragged her along the road as she tried to hold on to her handbag.
  • The woman had collected her pension and was walking home when the robbery happened.
  • The attack caused multiple pelvic fractures, constant pain and lasting injuries to the woman, who needed 24-hour care.
  • The handbag held €588 in cash, and it was never recovered despite an extensive search.
  • Other property taken included a purse and a mobile phone.
Where
The robbery took place on Charlemont Terrace, off Wellington Road, Cork city, an area with no CCTV, after the woman had visited St Luke's post office.
When
The robbery took place on the afternoon of 9 November 2022, around 4:30pm.
Cause
The men were attempting to steal the woman's handbag.
Investigation
Gardaí identified the two men as suspects and arrested Damian Fitzgerald and Damien Long (spelled Damian Long in some reports) on 12 November 2022.
Charges
Both men were charged with robbery on 14 November 2022 and have been in custody since.
In court
  • Both men pleaded guilty at Cork Circuit Criminal Court in April 2023, and the case was adjourned to 3 May with a victim impact statement requested.
  • Judge Helen Boyle described the attack as a 'scarcely comprehensible act of thuggery in broad daylight' and the offence as at the higher end of robbery, and said Long played a lesser role within a joint enterprise.
  • The court heard the two men have 313 previous convictions between them, and Long was serving a suspended sentence at the time of the attack.
Sentence
On 9 May 2023 both men were jailed for nine years, backdated to 14 November (one report says each was sentenced to 10 years with the final year suspended).
Other details
Fitzgerald is 35 (one report says 34) and Long is 32 in the text of one report, though a photo caption in another gives Long's age as 43.
68 statements extracted from the articles
  • whatTwo men robbed a 93-year-old woman who was knocked to the ground and dragged along the road. (irishtimes.com)
  • whatThe woman had collected her pension before the robbery. (irishtimes.com)
  • whatThe stolen handbag contained €588. (irishtimes.com)
  • whatTwo men were jailed for nine years over a robbery that caused serious injuries to a 93-year-old woman. (rte.ie)
  • whatThe woman was knocked to the ground and dragged along the road as she tried to hold on to her handbag. (rte.ie)
  • whatThe woman suffered multiple fractures to her pelvis. (rte.ie, irishtimes.com)
  • whatThe handbag taken contained €588 and other property. (rte.ie)
  • whatThe woman was knocked to the ground and dragged along the road as she tried to hang on to her handbag. (thejournal.ie)
  • whatThe woman sustained multiple fractures to her pelvis and was in constant pain. (thejournal.ie)
  • whatTwo men were jailed for nine years after robbing a 93-year-old woman. (irishtimes.com)
  • whatThe woman was walking home after collecting her pension in Cork city. (irishtimes.com)
  • whatTwo men knocked a 93-year-old woman to the ground and dragged her along the road while robbing her. (irishmirror.ie)
  • whatThe bag was pulled from her shoulder on Charlemont Terrace, where there was no CCTV. (irishmirror.ie)
  • whatThe woman sustained multiple pelvic fractures and remained in constant pain. (irishmirror.ie)
  • whatProperty taken included a handbag containing €588, a purse, and a mobile phone, among other items. (irishmirror.ie)
  • whatTwo men were jailed for nine years by Cork Circuit Criminal Court. (gript.ie)
  • whatThe handbag contained €588. (gript.ie)
  • whatThe attack caused multiple fractures to the woman's pelvis. (gript.ie)
  • whatThe woman has been left in constant pain since the incident. (gript.ie)
  • whereThe robbery took place at Charlemont Terrace, Wellington Road, Cork. (irishtimes.com)
  • whereThe woman was robbed after she turned onto Charlemont Terrace, where there was no CCTV. (rte.ie)
  • whereThe robbery happened at St Luke's in Cork city. (thejournal.ie, irishmirror.ie)
  • whereThe robbery happened at Charlemont Terrace, off Wellington Road, Cork. (irishtimes.com)
  • whereThe woman had visited St. Luke's post office in Cork city. (gript.ie)
  • whenThe robbery took place on 9 November. (irishtimes.com)
  • whenThe robbery took place in Cork city on 9 November 2022. (rte.ie)
  • whenThe robbery happened on November 9th, 2022. (irishtimes.com)
  • whenThe robbery happened on the afternoon of 9 November 2022. (irishmirror.ie)
  • whenThe attack happened on the 9th of November. (gript.ie)
  • whenThe attack took place around 4:30pm. (gript.ie)
  • causeThe attackers were stealing the woman's handbag. (gript.ie)
  • investigationThe stolen property was never recovered despite an extensive search. (rte.ie)
  • investigationLong and Fitzgerald were arrested on 12 November. (rte.ie)
  • investigationLong and Fitzgerald were arrested on 12 November 2022. (thejournal.ie)
  • investigationGardaí identified the two men as suspects after an investigation. (irishtimes.com)
  • investigationGardaí arrested Damien Long and Damian Fitzgerald on 12 November 2022. (irishmirror.ie)
  • investigationThe two men were arrested three days later on the 12th of November. (gript.ie)
  • chargeThe men were charged with robbery of the woman. (irishtimes.com)
  • chargeBoth men were charged with robbery on 14 November. (rte.ie)
  • chargeBoth men were charged with robbery on 14 November and were in custody since. (thejournal.ie)
  • chargeBoth men were charged with robbery on 14 November 2022. (irishmirror.ie)
  • chargeBoth men were charged with the assault on the 14th of November. (gript.ie)
  • courtBoth men pleaded guilty at Cork Circuit Criminal Court. (irishtimes.com)
  • courtThe judge requested a victim impact statement. (irishtimes.com)
  • courtThe case was adjourned to 3 May and both men were remanded in custody. (irishtimes.com)
  • courtBoth men pleaded guilty in April to robbing the woman of her handbag. (rte.ie)
  • courtThe judge described the offence as being at the higher end of robbery. (rte.ie)
  • courtBoth men pleaded guilty in April to robbing the woman of her handbag and other items. (thejournal.ie)
  • courtThe judge said Long played a lesser role but it was still part of a joint enterprise. (thejournal.ie)
  • courtBoth men pleaded guilty in April. (irishmirror.ie)
  • courtJudge Helen Boyle described the attack as a scarcely comprehensible act of thuggery in broad daylight. (gript.ie)
  • courtBoth men have been remanded in custody since being charged. (gript.ie)
  • sentenceBoth men were sentenced to nine years in prison. (rte.ie, irishmirror.ie)
  • sentenceBoth men were jailed for nine years. (thejournal.ie)
  • sentenceJudge Helen Boyle sentenced each man to 10 years, suspending the final year. (irishtimes.com)
  • sentenceEach man has nine years to serve, backdated to November 14th. (irishtimes.com)
  • sentenceTwo people were jailed for the robbery. (extra.ie)
  • otherDefence counsel said the men wished to apologise to the victim. (irishtimes.com)
  • otherDefence counsel for Long sought a probation and welfare report because he had developed a heroin addiction in prison. (irishtimes.com)
  • otherLong committed the offence while on a suspended sentence for another offence. (rte.ie, thejournal.ie, irishmirror.ie)
  • otherThe two men have 313 previous convictions between them. (rte.ie, thejournal.ie, gript.ie)
  • otherThe handbag was never recovered despite an extensive search. (thejournal.ie)
  • otherThe robbers stole the woman's handbag, which held €588 in cash. (irishtimes.com)
  • otherThe woman has lasting injuries and remains in constant pain. (irishtimes.com)
  • otherThe court was told the two men have 313 previous convictions between them. (irishmirror.ie)
  • otherJudge Helen Boyle described the offence as a scarcely comprehensible act of thuggery in broad daylight. (irishmirror.ie)
  • otherDamian Long was serving a suspended sentence at the time of the attack. (gript.ie)
  • otherThe victim, a woman aged 93, had collected her pension. (extra.ie)

The reporting

newest first
  1. 10 May2023
    Sentencedextra.ie, first report
    Pair Jailed For Vicious Handbag Robbery Of Woman, 93, Who Had Collected Her Pension

    Only the headline is usable. The body is template code with no details of the incident, location, date, court or the people involved. Location is not stated, so in_republic_of_ireland is an assumption from the Irish publisher and is unverified. No existing case matches.

    victim, 93, femaleconvicted
  2. 9 May2023
    Sentencedgript.ie, follow-up
    Man serving suspended sentence and accomplice who seriously assaulted 93yr old woman jailed - Gript

    Reports the sentencing of two men who attacked a 93-year-old woman after she collected her pension at St. Luke's post office, Cork city, stealing her handbag. Gives the sentence, the injuries, the men's previous convictions and the arrest and charge details.

    convicted, Damian Long, 32, male, named, irish (judged from name)Damian Longconvicted, Damien Fitzgerald, 35, male, named, irish (judged from name)Damien Fitzgeraldvictim, 93, female
  3. 9 May2023
    Sentencedirishmirror.ie, follow-up
    Thugs jailed for robbing woman, 93, who was dragged on road

    Sentencing report for the robbery. The article gives Damien Long's age as 32 in the text but as 43 in a photo caption, so the age is recorded from the text only. Damien Long is not the same person as the Damien Long in case 7003, which concerns a rape.

    convicted, Damien Long, 32, male, named, irish (judged from name)Damien Longconvicted, Damian Fitzgerald, 35, male, named, irish (judged from name)Damian Fitzgerald
  4. 9 May2023
    Sentencedirishtimes.com, follow-up
    Two men jailed over ‘thuggery’ which left woman (93) with life-changing injuries

    Court report of the sentencing of two men who pleaded guilty to the robbery; the article gives the sentence, the victim's injuries and the investigation. No existing case in the list matches this incident.

    convicted, Damian Fitzgerald, 35, male, named, irish (judged from name)Damian Fitzgeraldconvicted, Damian Long, 32, male, named, irish (judged from name)Damian Longvictim, 93, female
  5. 9 May2023
    Sentencedthejournal.ie, follow-up
    Two men jailed for inflicting 'life-changing injuries' on 93-year-old woman as they robbed her

    Reports the sentencing at Cork Circuit Criminal Court: both men jailed for nine years, the victim's injuries and impact statement, guilty pleas entered in April, and the judge's comments on the men's roles and previous convictions.

    victim, 93, femaleconvicted, Damien Long, 32, male, named, irish (judged from name)Damien Longconvicted, Damian Fitzgerald, 35, male, named, irish (judged from name)Damian Fitzgerald
  6. 9 May2023
    Sentencedrte.ie, follow-up
    Two men jailed for robbing woman, 93, in Cork

    Reports the sentencing of both men to nine years, the judge's comments, the victim impact statement, the men's guilty pleas and previous convictions, and details of the injuries and the robbery.

    convicted, Damien Long, 32, male, named, irish (judged from name)Damien Longconvicted, Damian Fitzgerald, 35, male, named, irish (judged from name)Damian Fitzgeraldvictim, 93, female
  7. 24 Apr2023
    Convictedirishtimes.com, follow-up
    Men plead guilty to robbery where woman (93) was knocked to ground and dragged along road

    Article reports the guilty pleas at Cork Circuit Criminal Court, the custody remand for sentence, the victim impact statement request and the adjournment to 3 May. It gives the men's ages as 32 and 34 and their addresses in Cork.

    victim, 93, femaleconvicted, Damian Long, 32, male, named, irish (judged from name)Damian Longconvicted, Damien Fitzgerald, 34, male, named, irish (judged from name)Damien Fitzgerald