A Palmerstown man who was part of a group who attacked a taxi driver before throwing him into a ditch tied up and taking his car will be sentenced next year.

Wayne Donnelly (28) also assaulted a man after telling him he owed money to a third party.

Donnelly, of Oakcourt Lawn, pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to assault causing harm to a man at a house in Palmerstown on July 29, 2013.

He also pleaded guilty to false imprisonment of a taxi driver and unlawful seizure of a car at Tubber Lane, Lucan on August 21, 2013. Donnelly has 26 previous convictions.

Judge Desmond Hogan adjourned sentencing until next March and ordered a probation report to be prepared.

Detective Garda Padraig Jennings told Garret Baker BL, prosecuting, that Donnelly and a second person went to the home of a man in Palmerstown and told him that his son owed a money to an individual who had just come out of prison. The man told the pair no money was owed.

Donnelly told the man that two grenades would be put in his house before punching him in the face.

The man fell to the ground and Donnelly kicked him in the stomach and head. The person who was with Donnelly seemed to pull him off after a time. As he left Donnelly smashed the man’s car window with a flower pot.

Gardai responding to a call at the house arrested Donnelly as he and his co-accused ran away.

Det Gda Jennings agreed with Anne Marie Lawlor BL, defending, that Donnelly at the time had the appearance and demeanour of a heavy drug user.

He agreed with Ms Lawlor that Donnelly was acting on the instructions of another person.

Garda Caroline Flynn told Mr Baker that the following month a taxi driver was stopped at Palmerstown in the early hours of the morning and begged by an individual claiming he was in trouble to take him to Celbridge.

When he agreed the individual called out and two other men got into the taxi. The taxi driver protested but was told the men were all going to the same place to collect horse feed.

The taxi driver was told to take a certain road and when he didn’t he was grabbed from behind by one of the men. He told them he didn’t want trouble and complied with their instructions. They took his mobile phone and €250 cash.

One of the men remarked “This is a nice car, we will take the car.” He told the group there was a tracking system but they replied that they did not care.

The car keys were taken and the men managed to get the car started. The taxi driver was then punched to the face. All three men then punched and kicked him to the head and body.

The taxi driver had his hands and feet tied up before being picked up and thrown into bushes. His shoes were also removed. He heard one of the group say: “No one will see him until the morning.” The group drove off in his car.

The taxi driver, who was bleeding from his nose and head, managed to get his legs free and crawled out of the bushes. He went to a neighbouring house for help and gardai were alerted.

The taxi driver suffered head injuries and a broken nose having sustained about 20 kicks.

Gardai found the man’s car burnt out in a ditch and came across three individuals, including Donnelly, who had blood stains on their clothes.

Gda Flynn agreed with Ms Lawlor that one of the other men arrested on the night had a more significant history than Donnelly.

Ms Lawlor said Donnelly came from a decent hard working family. She said he had done well in school until an interest in horses brought him into contact with people involved in criminality and he was introduced to drugs.

She said during last summer, when these offences were committed, Donnelly had reached his “nadir” in terms of drug use and was consuming huge quantities.

Counsel said the crisis culminated in an attempt to take his own life which left him in an induced coma for a time and with continuing medical issues.

Ms Lawor said he had been in “a state of extraordinary crisis” at the time but survived and seems to be doing well. She said he instructs he is now drug free.

She said he is remorseful for what he involved himself in and that there has been a “sea change” in his life.