Athlone Man Jailed For Trying To Suffocate Partner's Elderly Mum With A Pillow

Judge Keenan Johnson described him as being "like a man possessed".

A man, who attacked and tried to suffocate his partner's elderly mother with a pillow in a nursing home while shouting, "Die bitch, die," has been jailed for three and a half years.   

Judge Keenan Johnson described Peter Keaney, 55, as being "like a man possessed" during the incident at the Sonas retirement home, Ballymahon Road, Athlone, Westmeath, shortly before 8 pm on April 29th.  

At Mullingar Circuit Criminal Court today, Judge Johnson said it was a tragic and unprecedented case and Mr. Keaney, who was drunk at the time, "clearly intended to murder the victim". 

Until then, they had a strong and loving relationship, and the 85-year-old woman went to give him a hug when she was suddenly attacked.

The former carer and theatre carpenter pleaded guilty to two counts under the Non-Fatal Offences Against the Person Act for assault causing harm, and attempting to suffocate the victim by holding a pillow across her face.

Judge Johnson said Mr. Keaney's victim was traumatised and her family were inherently decent people, but their lives were catastrophically affected when the accused assaulted the pensioner.

The court heard that father of two Mr. Keaney turned to binge drinking and cannabis in recent years, and it stemmed from being sexually abused as a child.

The judge found that there were elements of premeditation to the assault because Mr. Keaney travelled 6.5km to the nursing home.

Reports showed no evidence of him having a psychiatric disorder, but at the time, he had a "distorted thinking pattern", and he had been drunk, which led to an utterly mistaken belief that his partner had been abused.

Judge Johnson held that Mr. Keaney was unlikely to reoffend by refraining from alcohol and drugs.

The offence can carry a 10-year sentence, but the judge recognised the value of the early guilty plea, signed in the District Court, which avoided the victim having to give evidence in a trial, and he noted his efforts at rehabilitation and remorse.

Judge Johnson imposed a sentence of four years and six months, but to foster rehabilitation, he suspended the final 12 months on condition Mr. Keaney did not reoffend for six years.

He was also ordered to stay off drinking and drugs, provide urine analysis when requested and remain under the supervision of the Probation Service for 18 months after his release from prison.

The judge commented that the case caused difficulties for Mr. Keaney's partner and adult children, who were "between a rock and a hard place," as they tried to empathise with the victim while aiding Mr. Keaney.

The accused, wearing a brown jacket and black trousers and top, sat silently with his head bowed and hands joined, and his partner gently placed her hand on his before he was led from the courtroom.

Earlier, he had expressed remorse for what he described as an awful act. He said he was not a violent person, and he and the victim, whom he has not seen since the attack, regularly ask about each other through other family members.

He had also been attending counselling to deal with the abuse he suffered as a child.

The victim did not come to the hearing or provide a victim impact statement.

But the judge commended her for her remarkable fortitude and compassion to her daughter's partner.

Judge Johnson also singled out the nursing home staff who intervened for praise, saying their action could have avoided a much more serious offence.

The elderly woman was attacked as she went to greet Peter Keaney with a hug.

Intoxicated Mr. Keaney, of Hillside Close, Monksland, Athlone, Roscommon, told gardai afterwards that he was going to kill her.

That day, the accused had drank four bottles of wine and was "triggered" by unsubstantiated abuse allegations.

Detective Garda Kevin Nerney agreed with prosecutor Cathal Ó Braonáin BL, instructed by State solicitor for Westmeath, Matt Shaw, that the accused travelled six-and-a-half kilometres by bus and on foot to the retirement home to carry out the attack.

Nursing home staff "forced" their way into the pensioner's room and found she had suffered multiple injuries, including a deep laceration to her forehead.

The accused remained at the scene and told gardai, "I did it; I tried to kill her." The court heard his long-term partner was the victim's daughter.

The elderly woman had lived there since 2021, and her husband also had a separate room.

Until that night, Keaney had a great relationship with them. The court heard that when "Peter Keaney came into her room, and she initially stood up to give him a hug."

However, he "hit her in the face with his fist, causing her to be stunned, and she asked, 'Peter, what is wrong? But he kept hitting her and punched her onto a chair at the side of her bed."

The court heard he told the OAP, "You will live to regret it and put a pillow over her face. She was struggling to get air."

She slipped to the ground, where Mr. Keaney repeatedly kicked her in the head several times.

Judge Johnson heard that just two days before the incident, the victim had spent time with the accused and her daughter; they had coffee and "had no issues with him, had a good laugh with him".

"She did not know why he did this," Detective Garda Nerney said.

Care workers outside heard him screaming, "Die bitch, die; die you fucking bitch. I wish you were dead."

Staff forced their way through the blocked door and saw her lying face down on the floor, "Keaney crouched over her, and there was a pillow covered with blood on the floor".

The court heard he then walked over to the bed, sat on it and waited until gardai arrived and arrested him.

En route to Athlone Garda station, "He made a number of comments in the patrol car and told gardai he wanted to kill her."

He admitted he put the pillow over her and told officers: "Yes, I wanted to kill her and will do it again; I wanted to kill her and will kill her," and he said he could not control himself and would do it again. He called her a useless pig who did not deserve to live.

He also signed a Garda notebook, in which his comments were recorded. However, he could not be formally interviewed for several hours due to the level of intoxication.

The court heard he began drinking wine shortly after 11 am and had consumed four bottles before going to the nursing home, and he admitted that he was drunk and had an alcohol problem.

He disclosed to gardai that he had suffered sexual abuse as a child and had gone to counselling for eight years.

He maintained his partner had recently made allegations but gardai were later told that was untrue.

However, he went to the nursing home in a "rage" against the elderly woman to punch her in the face.

And he told gardai he would have attacked her husband too, but he was in a room upstairs.

He admitted to gardai that he used his fist to hit her and when he "felt her go limp, I thought she was gone, thought I killed her after she went limp."

His partner of more than 30 years told gardai that Mr. Keaney was "bananas drunk".

The court heard the victim needed nine stitches to her head and had bruises and a sore back from being knelt on as she struggled with the pillow on her face, which the pensioner described as "horrible".

But the court heard she and her husband had a close relationship for years with Mr. Keaney.

In 2005, the accused and his partner moved from Galway to Athlone to help care for them after her father was seriously injured in an accident and had to learn how to walk and talk again.

The detective agreed with Delia Flynn SC, defending, that the victim told gardai, "We all loved him", and she still did not know why he did this.

Counsel said the accused had been abused by a priest when he was a child and a discussion about an abusive priest "triggered" his memory.

The court heard he believed people were overly sympathetic to the clergy and did not have insight into what people suffered.

He had two previous convictions for driving without a licence or motor insurance.