Man who drove over woman’s legs in Donegal is jailed

A man who drove over a woman’s legs with a car as she tried to flee from him in Donegal has been jailed.

Paul McGee was sentenced to five-and-a-half years in prison, with the last 12 months suspended, when he appeared before Letterkenny Circuit Court.

McGee, a 61-year-old of Hutcheon Street, Aberdeen, drove over the woman who tripped while attempting to run away from the man, who made threats to kill her and another woman.

The terrifying incident occurred on February 27, 2019 at a location in Donegal and the court heard that McGee pleaded guilty on a trial date to charges of endangerment and aggravated burglary. 

Two assault charges and one of making a threat to kill were marked as taken into consideration by the court.

In sentencing McGee, Judge John Aylmer said the incident was “far too serious” to be dealt with on a non-custodial basis.

McGee was brought to Letterkenny courthouse from Castlerea Prison, where he has been in custody since being denied bail following his extradition from Scotland by way of a European Arrest Warrant in October, 2025.

Garda McElroy outlined the case to Ms Fiona Crawford BL, barrister for the State.

The court heard that a woman was at home and, as she was waiting on a delivery, the door was unlocked. 

McGee walked through the door and into the kitchen. The woman told Gardai that McGee had “rage in his eyes” and “he had clenched fists”.

The defendant was said to have kicked the woman on the thigh and pushed her to the floor before pulling her up by the hair and punching her to the side of the head.

“I am going to cut your head off,” he told the victim. “You’re going to die. I’m going to fucking kill you.”

McGee was later alleged to have said: “I’m going to get a saw to cut your head off.”

The woman told Gardai that she was in such a shock that she couldn’t manage to contact anyone. She then heard McGee coming back and fled into another room in the house. 

When the woman did manage to get out of the house, she ran to a neighbour’s home, but it was locked. 

McGee was in his car on a laneway nearby and shouted to the woman that he was coming to get her.

As the woman went to run away again, she tripped and fell face down. She could see McGee’s car coming at speed towards her and he drove the vehicle over the back of her legs.

The woman was carried into her house by two other men who were present and she was taken by ambulance to Letterkenny University Hospital.

One of the other men said McGee had come into his home with a handsaw and a nail bar and was “screaming”. He was quoted as having said: “I’ll kill the fucking lot of you”.

Another woman told Gardai that McGee had made for her “like a mad man” and put the saw around the back of her neck. He had said: “I am here to kill you all. You are all the same.”

The Garda told the court that the woman was “sure” that Mcgee was going to kill her.

After his arrest, McGee made admissions and followed with a guilty plea.

Ms Crawford said that the victim was canvassed in relation to a victim impact statement, but said that she did not wish to be present. A victim impact statement was prepared and submitted in writing to the court.

Mr Donal Greene SC, barrister for McGee, said there was no doubt that the woman was put in fear and that another woman was also placed “in great jeopardy”.

Mr Greene said the aggravated burglary was not one where “significant violence” was occasioned and that his client now regrets his behaviour.

He said that McGee has attempted to contextualise his behaviour on the basis of a familial dispute.

Mr Greene said that McGee is 61, lives in Scotland and has “no great wish to return here on any regular basis”.

“His expression, through me, is of regret for what happened,” Mr Greene said, adding that McGee has no previous convictions in Ireland.

Mr Greene said that it was not McGee’s intention to remain in this jurisdiction following his release from prison. 

“He is probably better off out of this jurisdiction,” remarked Judge Aylmer.

In passing sentence, Judge Aylmer said that McGee’s actions when driving over the woman’s legs had created a “substantial risk of death or serious harm”.

“That followed what can only be described as a very violent attack on her in her house,” Judge Aylmer said. “That was accompanied by very credible threats to kill her. 

This, Judge Aylmer said, was the most serious offence on the indictment, and merited a starting point of six-and-a-half years imprisonment as it is on the upper scale of such offending. Judge Aylmer set a starting point of five years imprisonment on the aggravated burglary charge.

Judge Aylmer said McGee saw fit to plead guilty and while it was late, it was done pretty immediately on his return to Ireland. That was valuable as it spared the victims the trauma of enduring a trial.

Judge Aylmer said that a report on McGee was “complex” and said he has had bi-polar for many years and has had “ups and downs”. He said McGee has not been compliant with prescribed medication at all times and this causes “immense problems”

He said McGee tended to be more aggressive when in a manic phase of his mental illness, but has managed to stay out of trouble apart from this incident, which Judge Aylmer branded “appalling”.

Taking into account the mitigating factors, Judge Aylmer reduced the endangerment sentence to five-and-a-half years and he imposed a four-year sentence on the aggravated burglary charge. The sentences are to run concurrently with credit to be given for time served in custody.

Judge Aylmer said the offences were “far too serious” to contemplate a full suspension and said McGee not having an address here posed a difficulty.

The final 12 months of the five-and-a-half-year sentence were suspended on McGee entering a bond to keep the peace and be of good behaviour for 12 months subsequent to hsi release. McGee must refrain from alcohol completely in that period and he must leave the jurisdiction within one month of being released.