‘Unthinkable' assault: Man sentenced to 16 years for knife attack on former partner
Eoin Reynolds
A man has been jailed for 16 years for attempting to murder his former partner after he armed himself with a knife, donned a disguise and followed her using an electronic tag attached to her car.
37-year-old Pedro Cifali, a Brazilian with a former address in Blanchardstown, Dublin 15, previously pleaded guilty to attempting to murder Lucia Nezbalova (43) at the front door of her home in Garnish Square, Waterville, Dublin 15, on May 10th, 2024.
When Cifali approached Nezbalova at her door, he told her: "Don't worry, I just want to talk," but almost immediately, he pulled out a knife and stabbed her.
Justice Eileen Creedon on Monday noted that Cifali stabbed Nezbolova in the neck, behind the ear, in the back of the head, in the stomach and arms and she suffered defensive wounds on her face and hands.
The wound to her abdomen was so severe that her organs were visible, she said. Doctors described her injuries as life-threatening and said she survived only due to the intervention of a doctor who happened to live nearby and heard the screams.
Creedon said the attack was unprovoked and has left the victim with restricted movements and suffering post traumatic stress disorder, depression and anxiety.
Her mobility is limited and she requires further surgery. Part of the motivation for the premeditated attack was jealousy of Nezbolova's new relationship, the judge said.
The judge set a headline sentence of 20 years before considering mitigation, the most significant aspect of which was his guilty plea and lack of previous conditions.
She imposed a final sentence of 16 years with a further 12 months suspended on condition that Cifali engage with the probation services. The sentence is backdated to May 15th, 2024, when Cifali first went into custody.
'Unthinkable assault'
At a previous hearing, a statement written by Nezbalova was read by prosecution senior counsel Shane Costelloe.
She said she had to learn to live in "a body that no longer feels like my own" and now suffers post traumatic stress disorder, severe anxiety and depression. "This has been a painful ongoing battle to reclaim my life," she said.
Nezbalova said she is a "survivor of an unthinkable act by my ex-partner, the father of my daughter."
She described her permanent scars as "cruel reminders of the violence that changed our lives". She was left in constant pain with limited mobility and struggled to carry out simple tasks, such as tying her daughter's shoelaces.
She said she was forced to return to work before she had fully healed because she is now the only provider for her children and lacks family support in Ireland. She said she is "terrified of being around people" and gets overwhelmed by anxiety.
The attack "shattered" her sense of safety in her own home. "What he destroyed cannot simply be rebuilt, it lingers in our everyday lives," she said.
Det Sgt Mark Murphy told Costelloe that the relationship between the accused and Nezbalova ended in April 2024. Following the break-up, he placed an electronic tag under the bumper of her car.
On the day of the attack, CCTV harvested by gardaí showed Cifali arriving at a garage in Blanchardstown in his distinctive blue work van minutes after Nezbalova.
He then tracked her to Blanchardstown Shopping Centre and parked about 100 metres from her car. He stood at the shopping centre entrance while Nezbalova went to the McDonald's restaurant inside.
CCTV footage showed Cifali's attempts to disguise his appearance by wearing a baseball cap pulled down over his forehead and a blonde wig. His beard was lighter than its natural colour.
Members of the public noticed Cifali acting suspiciously and told security that he appeared to be carrying a knife. Cifali left the area before security guards could find him and he travelled to Nezbalova's home at Garnish Square to wait for her return.
