A man who slit a woman’s throat after meeting her on a dating app has been hospitalised days after his release from prison.
The individual was just 15 years old when he attacked Stephanie Ng in Dún Laoghaire, Dublin, in December 2017.
Now aged 23, the man walked free from custody after serving nine years of an 11-year sentence for attempted murder.
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He had remained behind bars since the attack took place, but following standard remission, he was released from Wheatfield Prison in Dublin on March 26.
And just days after his release, he presented himself to a Garda station in Dublin city centre expressing fears that he would hurt someone, DublinLive reports.
The man had been residing in a Dublin hostel and claimed he had the “urge” to kill and expressed concern that he might harm somebody once more.
Sources said that the man – who cannot be named for legal reasons – was actively seeking help, and made clear that he did not wish to act on his urges.
He was subsequently taken to hospital, where he is currently undergoing a psychological assessment. The development comes just over a year after a judge raised serious concerns about the prospect of the man being released from prison without adequate supervision.
Mr Justice Paul McDermott, during a hearing regarding the defendant’s sentence review, described this as a case that “cries out for supervision” and expressed “great concern” about the man’s mental health. He explained that a Supreme Court ruling prevented him from reviewing such matters.
The release comes three years after the attempted murderer required hospitalisation following an incident where he smeared the words “Sorry Stephanie” in his own blood across his cell wall.
He had been imprisoned since admitting to the attempted murder, in which he used a dating app to lure Ms Ng to a secluded spot at the Sea Front, Queen’s Road, Dun Laoghaire, Co Dublin.
Aged just 15 at the time, the teenager contacted Ms Ng through an online dating platform, falsely claiming to be 19. He then enticed her to an isolated location at the seafront on Queen’s Road, Dún Laoghaire, under the pretence of wanting to take a selfie with her.
He led her to the waterfront where he seized her from behind, strangled her until she lost consciousness and slashed her neck with a knife.
In an exclusive interview in 2020, Stephanie Ng revealed the scars on her wrist and neck, which she described as a painful and permanent reminder of the traumatic experience.
She said: “It will always be with me because I have the scars. I don’t know what to say because it’s out of my hands really.
“(But) I mean it will always be with me because I have the scars. So it’s not like it can change anything. I don’t think there will be justice on both sides because it’s quite sad on both sides to be honest.”
She continued: “I just don’t go out as much or I’m careful who I’m with. I mean I just hang out with my own friends. So I’d just say to people just be careful.”
Stephanie explained that she’s now attempting to move forward with her life.
She continued: “I’m just looking forward. I’m just trying to get on with my life now. I just have to look forward.
“Even my hand, my thumb is still numb. So even if I don’t look at myself I can still feel it. But I just have go get on with my life and I can only look forward now.”