Army chaplain hugs teenage boy who pleaded guilty to his attempted murder
By Cillian Sherlock, PA
An Irish army chaplain who was stabbed by a teenager has hugged the boy who pleaded guilty to his attempted murder in court.
Fr Paul Murphy was stabbed seven times during an attack at Renmore Barracks in Galway on August 15th, 2024.
The priest was assaulted by the teenage boy, then aged 16 but who is now 17, while he was attempting to enter the barracks at around 10.35pm.
The boy, who cannot be identified because of his age, has pleaded guilty to attempted murder over the incident.
He had been arrested at the scene after being restrained by members of the Defence Forces who had previously fired warning shots.
The court heard that gardaí believed at the time of the attack the boy held a “radicalised Islamist mindset” and analysis of seized devices showed content that supported the so-called Islamic State terrorist group.
The attack was not considered to be specifically targeted against Fr Murphy.
The court heard that the boy told gardai under caution for a charge of assault causing harm: “I did it in protest of the Irish Defence Forces and their work in Mali and all the stuff for Islam.”
The court was shown CCTV footage of the boy arriving at the gate of the barracks on the night of the attack and was told that Fr Murphy’s car was the first to arrive subsequently.
The boy approached the car, Judge Paul McDermott heard, and said: “Excuse me sir, do you have a minute to talk to me?”
Fr Murphy then partially rolled down the window before the boy started stabbing at his arms with a hunting knife that had an eight-inch serrated blade.
The priest drove through the gates but the attack continued before members of the Defence Forces were able to restrain the boy.
Detective Sergeant Paul McNulty, of Galway Garda Station, said: “It was a totally indiscriminate attack and it could have been any member of the defence forces”
Fr Murphy gave a victim impact statement at Dublin’s Central Criminal Court on Thursday ahead of the boy’s sentencing, which is expected to take place later this month.
The priest said he can remember every “gory detail” of the attempted murder but said he was thankful that it was him who was attacked and not another member of the Defence Forces.
“If it wasn’t me it would have been someone else, and I am convinced, without a shadow of a doubt, that I was the right person, in the right place, at the right time – that night was filled with blessings.”
He added: “I thank God every single day that the knife tore through my skin, and not through the body of one of my comrades.
“I consider it an honour and a privilege to carry those scars until my dying day.”
Addressing the teenage boy, Fr Murphy said: “As a man of faith, I am in the business of forgiveness, and I offer to you, the young man standing accused before me, the forgiveness that will hopefully help you to become a better person.
“I believe you are 17 now, so you will hopefully have another 80 years of living on this earth.
“In this, the Church’s Jubilee Year of Hope, my hope and prayer is that you will use whatever resources are put at your disposal, in prison or beyond, to learn a better way of living and that you will use your energy and your talents to make our world a better place for all people to live.
“Life is for living and for loving, and, I promise you, your life will find its ultimate joy when you live honourably and love generously.”
During the victim impact statement, Fr Murphy turned around to face the teenager who told him: “I’m sorry.”
Fr Murphy added: “Your Honour, we all have to take responsibility for our actions and while I can personally forgive my attacker the fact remains that he has committed an appalling crime.
“He has offended our State, he has offended the Irish Defence Forces and he has offended every soldier who has walked through the gate of our barracks, because it could have been any one of them who was stabbed.
“Every crime warrants an appropriate punishment and every sentence should serve as a deterrent to others from perpetrating similar crimes.
“It falls to you to give sentence in this case and, assuming that it will be custodial, length of years is not what interests me.
“My only desire is that the young man before you would learn to see the error of his ways and, when the time comes, return to society to make a positive contribution to the world as a wholesome, happy and loving person.
“I am just an ordinary priest and, while I am honoured to bear the wounds that scar my skin, I would be much happier to have avoided the limelight of this process
“May it please the Lord above that the events which have led us to today may educate us all about the over-arching need for love, forgiveness and hope in our world.”
At the end of Thursday’s proceedings, Fr Murphy shook the boy’s hand and they exchanged words before hugging.