A LUCAN woman who scarred another woman by slashing her face and breast with a broken bottle has been sentenced to four years in prison with two suspended on strict conditions.
Ciara Carney (19), Earlsfort Gardens, Lucan, Co Dublin, pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to assault causing serious harm to Dena Jones on July 4th, 2009, on Newcastle Road.
Judge Donagh McDonagh said Ms Jones had been left with “horrendous” and “probably permanent scars” in what he described as an “unprovoked attack”.
“Ms Jones was minding her own business and had actually got off the pavement to let this other bunch through,” Judge McDonagh said, before acknowledging the “very very serious” effects this attack had on the victim. He noted it had impacted on her psychologically, and affected her employment, social life and relationships.
He said Carney had had a troubled background and to describe her family as dysfunctional “was probably being charitable”.
Judge McDonagh said there was nothing before him to indicate Carney posed a “threat to society in the future”. He noted she had started drinking at age 13 and was abusing cocaine, cannabis and ecstasy by age 14. He said the seriousness of the offence itself was at the “upper end” and deserved a sentence of six years.
He said he had to give Carney credit for her guilty plea, the fact she had engaged in a “meaningful way” with the probation service as indicated by a positive report, and that she had since addressed her alcohol and drug problems.
He noted Carney had been diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and had received treatment for this.
Judge McDonagh suspended the final two years of the sentence on condition Carney keep the peace and be of good behaviour for five years upon her release.
Garda Rory O’Sullivan told James Dwyer, prosecuting, the victim had been socialising with friends in Lucan that night. On their way home they saw four girls walking towards them.
Ms Jones told gardaí all she remembered was “one of them came over to me and struck me over the head. It felt like a punch at the start, but then I was bleeding all over and realised it was a bottle she attacked me with,” she said in her statement.
Her friends called an ambulance and her then partner, Denis Gallagher, ran after the four girls but lost them after Carney got in a stranger’s car waiting at traffic lights. The driver had let her in after she had banged on the window, and he drove her home as he thought she was being chased.
Ms Jones was brought to Connolly Hospital where she received emergency treatment to the 8cm laceration on the side of her face and the 7cm laceration on her left breast.
Carney was arrested the next day but initially only admitted she was at the scene. Later she admitted breaking the bottle over Ms Jones and said: “I don’t know how I caused it. I was drunk really and I have a problem with drink.”
Garda O’Sullivan said Carney, who has four previous convictions, asked him to tell the victim she was “really sorry”. Mr Dwyer said Ms Jones was on anti-depressants, suffers panic attacks and has ceased working. She had returned to live with her parents in Tyrone.
Marie Torrens, defending, said the attack was “an unprovoked one” and Carney did not know her victim. “The defendant has a chaotic background and was in quite a state on the night. She was only 17 at the time she attacked her victim and she acknowledges she has a difficulty with alcohol,” she said.
“The defendant has been diagnosed with ADHD and when she drank she ended up in verbal and physical fights but she is now availing of weekly addiction services,” added Ms Torrens.