A 22-year-old Nigerian man, Martin Ekhosuehi, has been sentenced to nine years in prison after a jury at Cork Circuit Criminal Court found him guilty of aggravated burglary, assault causing harm, and making threats to kill.
The conviction followed a violent incident that occurred on July 2, 2023, at a rented student house on Highfield Avenue, College Road, in Cork.
According to The Irish Times, Ekhosuehi and an accomplice carried out a terrifying hour-long ordeal during which two students were threatened with having their fingers cut off if they failed to hand over money and drugs.
Ekhosuehi, who lives at Willow Gardens, Glanmire, Co Cork, had earlier pleaded not guilty to the charges.
On Wednesday, Sinead Behan sentenced him to 11 years in prison but suspended the final two years, leaving him to serve nine years behind bars.
During the trial, the investigating officer, Eoghain O’Callaghan, detailed how the incident unfolded.
“At 7pm on July 2nd, 2023, two young men at Highfield Avenue, College Road, Cork, had to run to a neighbour’s house to raise the alarm. They said two men had come through the front door by force.
“One of them was wearing an all-black tracksuit, black ski-mask, blue latex gloves, and had a large chef’s knife with black handle. The second man was also wearing a black tracksuit, black gloves, and had a flathead screwdriver. Both were demanding money,” O’Callaghan said.
The court heard that the attackers ransacked the house while asking where cocaine and cash were hidden.
During the ordeal, the students were held at knifepoint and struck on the head. One of the attackers issued a chilling warning, telling them, “I will start cutting off fingers, on my mother’s life, if I don’t start finding something soon”.
Investigators said the suspects eventually fled with €30 in cash and the victims’ mobile phones, escaping through the back door.
“They took €30 in cash and took their phones. Both fled by the backdoor. A glove was left behind and was forensically examined and found to have a fingerprint matching Martin Ekhosuehi. He was also nominated as a suspect by two gardaí who examined CCTV,” O’Callaghan said.
The court was told that one of the victims had been on a call with his girlfriend in Drogheda when the break-in occurred. Concerned by strange noises and the sudden disconnection, she contacted gardaí.
Police arrived shortly afterwards and knocked on the door, announcing their presence through the letterbox. However, the intruders threatened to kill the students if they attempted to respond or alert the officers.
When the attackers eventually fled, gardaí returned and found the victims shaken and injured, with cuts to their faces.
Both students reported that they had been punched and repeatedly threatened with death, leaving them fearing for their lives.
The court also heard that Ekhosuehi has 14 previous convictions, including three for possession of drugs for personal use, one for drug dealing, one for money laundering, two for possessing knives, and another for producing an article during a dispute.
While delivering the sentence, Judge Behan said the crime had been deliberately planned.
“The accused had planned and premeditated this crime and did so in a manner where they (the accused and his unidentified accomplice) dressed to conceal their identity.
“They came with a purpose. The hour must have felt like an eternity. I have not had any indication of remorse or empathy with the victims,” she said.
The judge noted that aggravated burglary typically carries a starting sentence of 12 years. However, she reduced the term to 11 years and suspended the final two years, taking into account Ekhosuehi’s youth and the support he receives from his family.
