Grandmother knifed in face and beaten with sticks by group of women, court told – The Irish Times

A grandmother was knifed in the face and beaten with sticks by a group of women at her home in Rathkeale, Co Limerick, a court has heard.

Christina McCarthy, née Harty, dived under her bed at her home to escape the vicious assault, Limerick Circuit Criminal Court was told.

Ms McCarthy (61) was left with permanent disfiguring scarring to her face, following the attack on December 10th, 2019.

The victim told gardaí she woke in her bedroom surrounded by at least eight women who then set upon her.

“I can still see their faces and hear myself roaring for mercy to let me go, I don’t know how I survived it,” Ms McCarthy said in a victim-impact statement.

“They wanted me dead, that’s how I feel,” she added.

Prosecuting barrister Lily Buckley told the court Ms McCarthy was caught by her hair “like a rag doll” during the attack.

Mother and daughter Nora “Josie” Harty, (58) and Mary Ellen Daly (35), a cousin and niece of Ms McCarthy, both of Lisheen Park, Patrickswell, Co Limerick, pleaded guilty to assault causing harm to Ms McCarthy.

Christina Casey (48), of St Aidan’s Close, Brookfield, Tallaght, Dublin, pleaded guilty to violent disorder.

Rita Johnson (51), of St Ita’s Street, St Mary’s Park, Limerick City, admitted to one count of trespassing at Ms McCarthy’s home on the day in question.

The court heard that a day before the attack, the victim and her daughter were involved in an altercation with Ms Daly and another woman outside a shopping centre.

The victim told gardaí she believed she struck Ms Daly first. It was heard there was another earlier alleged incident on board a “party bus”.

Ms Buckley said that on the day of the attack, the victim was asleep in bed in her home around lunchtime when “she opened her eyes” and saw “three women coming for her”: Ms Daly, Ms Harty and Ms Casey.

Ms Buckley said the victim said she heard Ms Harty tell her: “We’re not letting you go, we’re cutting you up, we’re killing you.”

Ms Buckley said Ms Daly also told the victim: “I’m cutting you up. I’m killing you.”

Ms McCarthy told gardaí she thought she was going to die as Ms Harty and Ms Daly attacked her with knives, and Ms Casey was armed with a baseball bat. The barrister said Ms Harty and Ms Daly caused slash injuries to the victim’s face and hands.

The four defendants, who are from the Travelling community, were observed by an independent witness leaving the victim’s home. The witness told gardaí they saw 20 angry and screaming people running from the victim’s home.

Ms McCarthy was taken from the scene to University Hospital Limerick for treatment of slash wounds to her face, a thumb and an index finger. Ms Buckley said the victim underwent a number of surgeries.

In a victim-impact statement, Ms McCarthy said: “My face and hands were destroyed, affecting how I look, I will never be the same in my face and the pain never goes away from my hand.”

Ms McCarthy said she continues to suffer with anxiety, panic attacks and she said she is constantly looking over her shoulder “waiting to be attacked again”.

Gardaí later arrested Ms Harty, Ms Daly, Ms Casey and Ms Johnson and they all denied being at the victim’s home on the day.

Defence barristers told the court their clients are remorseful and apologetic.

In mitigation, positive reports prepared by the Probation Service and Tipperary Rural Travellers Project were provided to the court.

The four accused’s barristers asked sentencing judge Fiona O’Sullivan to spare their clients from an immediate custodial penalty and instead impose community service orders.

The judge remanded the four accused on bail for sentence in March.