A man who was in a cannabis-induced psychosis when he stabbed his childhood friend in the back in a “bizarre” and random attack has been given a partly suspended sentence. Neal Brennan (29) of Sutton Lawn, Sutton, pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to assault causing harm to Cian Brennan (no relation) on January 2nd, 2025 on Station Road, Portmarnock. He has no previous convictions and has been on remand in custody since his arrest following the attack. Garda Dylan Toner told prosecuting barrister Kieran Kelly that the victim and Brennan had been childhood schoolfriends. He said they went out for food together that evening and ate the food in Brennan’s car parked up outside a convenience store. They then went into the shop to get a drink and on returning to the car Brennan stabbed his friend in the back as he was getting into the passenger side of the vehicle.The victim heard something drop and assumed it was Brennan’s car keys. He then felt the gash in his back and asked his friend “What have you done?”Brennan offered him a lift but the victim shouted again “What have you done?” before he went into the shop to get assistance from the staff. He was later treated in hospital. Toner played CCTV footage to the court which showed the two men entering the shop, returning to Brennan’s car and then the victim running back into the shop following the stabbing.He said that Brennan was arrested later that same night after gardaí were alerted and given a description of him and details of the car he was driving. He made no significant admissions during his interview with gardaí.A victim impact statement was read into the record by Kelly. The victim stated that he was hospitalised for four days following the assault as the wound required surgery as it was “extremely close to my spine and vital organs”. He said he has since experienced emotional distress and feels he was betrayed by someone who was his friend.“I still remember the person he used to be. I don’t believe he was the same person I knew when we grew up as kids.” Sentencing Brennan, Judge Ronan Munro said that the victim had provided “an extraordinarily magnanimous” victim impact statement in what was a “nightmare scenario to be attacked by someone you considered a friend”. Munro noted that various reports before the court indicated that Brennan had been experiencing low mood and anxiety since August 2019 and had been referred previously for psychiatric assessment. “It seems to me that it is the case that given his background, the bizarre nature of the offending and the absence of any previous convictions, all indicate to me that his moral responsibility, while it is not diminished, it is reduced,” the judge said. He said the offence was aggravated by the use of a weapon and that he stabbed someone in the back and that the victim then had to undergo surgery. Munro said a headline sentence of five years was warranted. He reduced this to 3½ years considering his plea of guilty and lack of previous convictions. He said Brennan’s “almost daily use” of cannabis in the two weeks leading up to the assault seemed to be “a significant contributory factor to this violent assault” before he noted that it is most important “that this does not happen again”. Earlier in the hearing, Brennan read a letter he had written for the court. He said he wished to express his deepest remorse and said he deeply regrets the hurt he caused. He said he intends to take the “right positive steps” to ensure this will not happen again and he wants now “to move forward in a positive direction”.