BRUTAL | 

Brothel robbery thugs attacked prostitute with hammer and meat cleaver in Kildare

Rescuing garda lost a tooth after he was headbutted in struggle as men threatened Brazilian sex worker

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Two men who attacked a prostitute with a claw hammer and a meat cleaver left a rescuing garda suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder following the brutal brothel robbery.

Robert Ion, Andrei Stroescu and a third man burst into the house where the Brazilian prostitute was working in Newbridge, Co Kildare just before midnight on August 17, 2021.

Luckily, a nearby resident who knew the terraced house was being used as a brothel had spotted a hooded man acting suspiciously and immediately called gardai when he heard screaming.

The prostitute was forced to reveal where €5,000 was stashed after being beaten with a hammer several times, leaving her with a broken nose, puncture wounds on her buttocks, severe bruising and damage to her neck.

Two uniformed officers who arrived at the scene, Garda Martin Staunton and Garda James Quigley, confronted the gang as the injured and almost naked woman ran from the house.

As one man escaped through a back window, Ion and Stroescu – armed with a hammer and meat cleaver – turned on the two officers and a struggle ensued.

Details of the terrifying incident emerged this week where Ion and Stroescu appeared at Naas Circuit Criminal Court to be sentenced.

Both men, who shared an address in Co Meath, had previously pleaded guilty to a charge of aggravated burglary, and Stroescu also pleaded guilty to head-butting Garda Quigley.

Garda Martin Staunton gave evidence how the officers had arrived at the house on Henry Street where they heard sounds of “a distressed female”.

Details of the terrifying incident emerged this week where Ion and Stroescu appeared at Naas Circuit Criminal Court to be sentenced.

Both men, who shared an address in Co Meath, had previously pleaded guilty to a charge of aggravated burglary, and Stroescu also pleaded guilty to head-butting Garda Quigley.

Garda Martin Staunton gave evidence how the officers had arrived at the house on Henry Street where they heard sounds of “a distressed female”

The gardai were able to get the suspects to the ground and handcuffed and arrested them.

During the struggle Stroescu headbutted Garda Quigley in the face with the back of his head, causing him to lose a tooth.

The woman later told gardai in an interview she was a “freelance sex worker” who advertised her services on Escort Ireland.

She ran a coffee shop in her native country but had to shut down because of Covid and came to Ireland earn money to buy new equipment and to put her son through college.

She told them there was money under a plate, but they said the €5,000 was not enough and demanded more. The pair went through her belongings and personal documents and kept pulling her head upwards to stop her looking at them.

She said the men went into a panic when they realised the gardai were at the scene, and she was taken to the bedroom and had her hands tied behind her back before she able to free herself and get out.

The victim has since returned to Brazil, but in a victim impact statement she outlined how her injuries and the psychological damage and trauma has affected her ability to provide for her family.

Lawyers for both men, who have been held in custody since the attack, asked that their early guilty pleas be taken into account and saved the victim travelling from Brazil to give evidence in court.

Judge Dara Hayes adjourned the case for final sentencing later this year

In his impact statement, Garda Quigley told how the incident, in which he lost a tooth, left him with post traumatic stress disorder, resulted in depression and severely affected his sleep pattern.