A Nigerian national, Martin Ekhosuehi, has been sentenced to nine years in prison in Ireland after a jury found him guilty of aggravated burglary, assault causing harm and issuing death threats during a violent robbery at a student residence.
The verdict was delivered at the Cork Circuit Criminal Court over an incident that occurred on July 2, 2023, at a rented house on Highfield Avenue, College Road in Cork, where two students were attacked by Ekhosuehi and another suspect.
Ekhosuehi, a resident of Willow Gardens, Glanmire, had denied the charges during the trial. However, the presiding judge, Sinead Behan, on Wednesday handed him an 11-year sentence, suspending the final two years.
Testifying during the proceedings, investigating officer Eoghain O’Callaghan told the court that two masked men stormed the apartment around 7pm, forcing their way inside while armed with a chef’s knife and a screwdriver.
The assailants reportedly demanded money and drugs while searching through the house.
During the incident, the victims were threatened and assaulted, with one of the attackers warning that their fingers would be cut off if valuables were not produced quickly.
The court heard that the attackers eventually fled through the back door after taking €30 and the victims’ mobile phones.
A glove recovered at the scene later yielded a fingerprint that matched Ekhosuehi, while CCTV footage also helped investigators identify him.
One of the students had been on a phone call with his girlfriend when the break-in began.
Alarmed by suspicious sounds before the call suddenly ended, she alerted the police.
When officers arrived after the suspects had escaped, they found the victims visibly shaken and nursing facial injuries.
The students told police they had been punched and repeatedly threatened, leaving them terrified for their lives.
Further evidence presented before the court showed that Ekhosuehi had 14 prior convictions, including offences related to drug possession, drug trafficking, money laundering and possession of knives.
In her ruling, Behan described the attack as deliberate and carefully planned, noting that the suspects disguised themselves to hide their identities and carried weapons to intimidate their victims.
She said the offence ordinarily attracted a 12-year starting sentence but reduced it to 11 years and suspended the final two years, considering the defendant’s age and the support he receives from his family.
