A 38-year-old businesswoman and social media influencer described being traumatised after online comments blamed her for being the victim of an assault that left her with a broken ankle and her foot facing the wrong way.
In a victim impact statement, Selina Regazzoli from Dublin said the assault by Conor Greaney (27) on Oliver Plunkett Street in Cork city centre, a case of mistaken identity,had robbed her of independence and her sense of security.
“I have lost my self-worth completely, I am afraid to be seen or be looked at, I am afraid to be alone in public – I am afraid of strangers … my world has become small and restricted, and I have become small and restricted,” said Regazzoli, who has 29,000 Instagram followers.
Det Gda Orla Moriarty told Cork Circuit Criminal Court that on the morning of March 7th, 2024 , Regazzoli had come to Cork in her job as a regional manager of a firm and was walking past the GPO on Oliver Plunkett Street when Greaney ran over and punched her on the side of the head.
She said Regazzoli fell to the ground, suffering a trimalleolar fracture to her ankle, with all three malleoli bones in her ankle broken, resulting in her foot being turned the wrong way. She was left lying helpless on the ground until passersby came to her aid.
She said gardaí obtained CCTV footage and were able to identify Greaney of Farranferris Avenue, Farranree, Cork as the attacker and he later presented himself at the Bridewell Garda station, made admissions and said the assault was a case of mistaken identity.
Regazzoli spoke in her victim impact statement of how a normal morning turned into an attack without warning.
“I remember the shock and confusion,” she said. “I did not understand what was happening or why it was happening to me. As he shouted at me, I lay on the ground and looked at my foot, which was now turned in the wrong direction, and I knew I could not run away.
“I was stuck there, I was in unbearable pain, petrified, shaking and completely defenceless – my ankle was broken and dislocated and I was trapped from that moment. What has stayed with me most was the panic and the fear as I lay there helpless.”
Regazzoli said she underwent surgery, but will never achieve a full range of motion in her ankle and is likely to develop early arthritis. While the physical impact of the assault was huge, she said, it was the psychological impact that she found most difficult to deal with.
“The psychological damage has been even more profound,” she said. “Before this attack, I was a confident, independent and outgoing person who travelled the world for work – I had built a career and a life that I was proud of … that person is gone.
“The online commentary surrounding the attack added another layer of trauma – reading the comments and seeing people blame me, judge me and make false accusations about me was deeply humiliating and hurtful.”
Moriarty said Greaney had made admissions and expressed remorse for attacking Regazzoli but would do the same again if his target had been whom he thought she was. He had 68 previous convictions including one for assault causing harm and one for assault causing serious harm.
Defence barrister Elaine Audley pleaded for leniency, pointing out Greaney had said he would be pleading guilty at an early stage, had been free from addiction for three years before the assault but had lapsed after the death of his grandfather, who had been a huge support to him.
She read excerpts from his memo of interview where he expressed shame and remorse for attacking a woman and while it wasn’t excusing or justifying his behaviour, he thought the victim was a woman who had harassed his partner online over two miscarriages she had suffered.
Judge Dermot Sheehan said he agreed with the detective’s view that Greaney was “a violent and dangerous individual” and it was clear the assault in the middle of Cork city in broad daylight had a hugely traumatic effect on the victim, who had no chance to protect herself.
He believed the assault merited a headline sentence of eight years but said he would reduce it to 5½ years in light of Greaney’s plea, which spared Regazzoli having to testify, and he would suspend the final six months to incentivise Greaney’s rehabilitation.