Man (25) jailed for 'gratuitous' attack on American tourist

Isabel Hayes

A man who robbed and assaulted an American tourist in a “gratuitous” attack before lying to the sentencing court about his family background has been jailed for seven years.

Stefano Gianluca Macari (25) was caught by gardaí with his two co-accused smoking crack cocaine a short distance from where they left the tourist lying injured on the road, Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard previously.

Macari had the victim's wallet and bank cards on his person when he was searched by gardaí. He made no admissions when interviewed and was due to stand trial, but failed to appear.

He has been in custody since he was arrested in June last year and he entered guilty pleas shortly after, Jane McGowan, prosecuting, previously told the court.

Macari, of the Spire Hostel, Marlboro Street, Dublin, pleaded guilty to robbery and assault causing harm to the man, an American doctor in his 40s, on April 27th, 2023. His two co-accused, a man and a woman, also pleaded guilty and were jailed for four and five years respectively.

Macari has a number of previous convictions, including burglary, handling stolen property, theft and assault.

Macari lied to his solicitor about his family background, falsely claiming he had family members who ran a takeaway business and that they had offered him a job, the court heard on Tuesday.

He also said his brother died of a heroin overdose, which caused his brother great embarrassment as he is a law-abiding citizen, Judge Martina Baxter said.

Macari further claimed he had a five-year-old child when no such child exists and provided false testimonials to the court.

Judge Baxter said Macari's lies led to his barrister giving a plea of mitigation that was not true. She said she would not treat this as an aggravating factor while sentencing him, but rather a “deficit in mitigation”.

She noted the CCTV footage of the attack on the tourist was “disturbing and shocking”. She said Macari aimed a “gratuitous, strong kick” to the head of the injured party as he lay on the ground.

The judge said Macari has shown “no genuine insight, no genuine remorse and no victim empathy”. He has acknowledged he lied to the court about his family background.

Judge Baxter set a headline sentence of seven and a half years, which she reduced to seven years and three months. She suspended the final three months on a number of conditions, including that Macari engage with the Probation Service.

Previous hearing

At a previous sentence hearing, Detective Garda Mark Reilly told the court that the tourist was in Temple Bar on the night in question and was trying to find his hotel when he was joined by Macari's male accomplice, who offered to help him home.

While the pair were walking through Dublin, they were joined by Macari and the woman. They then set upon the man, assaulting him and causing him to fall to the ground. While there, Macari kicked him “a number of times in the head”, prosecuting counsel said.

The trio rifled through the man's pockets and stole cash and his wallet before fleeing the scene. They were arrested a short time later in a nearby petrol station.

The tourist was treated by paramedics at the scene for his injuries, which included lacerations and bruising to the face.

He declined to go to hospital and treated his injuries himself with temporary stitches, the court heard. A victim impact statement was handed into court but not read aloud.

Judge Baxter watched a short clip of CCTV footage of the incident from the bench and noted that before leaving the scene, Macari aimed a “gratuitous strong kick” to the victim's upper body.

She noted the victim was left lying on a public road, where traffic could have come by.

Defence counsel said it was a “nasty, nasty crime” and that Macari wanted to offer an unreserved apology for his actions that night.

He has struggled with drug addiction and has had periods of homelessness and living in hostels.