Man (60) who held Stanley knife to teen's throat in work row is jailed

Paul Hagmann (60) was sentenced to five months in prison for the attack on a terrified 17-year-old co-worker who was in his first ever summer job and told how he was still “haunted” by what happened.

Blanchardstown District Court heard Hagmann was “under extreme pressure” because his wife was ill when he “lost his temper” over the trivial issue of work equipment being moved.

Hagmann, a US national of Palmerstown Woods, Station Road, Clondalkin, admitted producing a weapon and threatening to kill or cause serious harm to the boy.

The accused was working at Plates For Us, Fonthill Industrial Estate, Clondalkin on August 24, 2020 when he got angry because his gloves and knife were moved, picked up a Stanley knife and held it to the victim’s neck.

“If you took that goddamn f**king knife I’ll slit your throat,” Hagmann told the victim. “I swear to God, if you took that knife I’ll murder you, and boy, I will murder you with my bare hands.”

“I can’t begin to describe the feelings of terror I felt when I was attacked,” the boy said in a victim impact statement, read out by Judge David McHugh.

He believed if he had moved, the knife would have been “in my throat”.

“I can’t trust people I work with now, it shattered my confidence and left me afraid.”

The stress of Hagmann’s wife’s illness was elevated by the pandemic because he feared he would get Covid and pass it on to her, his solicitor Rory Staines said.

This affected his judgement at work, he became paranoid and lost his temper.

Hagmann, who had no prior convictions and led a “blameless life” before, accepted he behaved disgracefully, and had lost his job.

He is appealing the sentence.