A 16-YEAR-OLD old girl struck Limerick woman Scarlett Faulkner 11 times on her head with an iron bar, a special weekend court sitting was told.
The girl allegedly laughed when Gardaí later showed her a photograph of the young mother seriously injured following the attack, investigating Gardaí told Limerick District Court.
Scarlett Faulkner (late 20s), from Longpavement, Limerick, was found by Gardaí with critical head injuries at the side of the R494 road, just outside the village of Birdhill, County Tipperary, Saturday March 21.
A 16-year-old girl arrested in connection with the attack appeared Limerick District Court charged with one count of assault causing serious harm to Ms Faulkner.
A 40-year-old woman also appeared before the court, charged with four offences arising out of the alleged assault, including violent disorder, reckless endangerment, and burglary.
Judge Carol Anne Coolican ordered reporting restrictions in respect of both accused, meaning they cannot be identified.
Ms Faulkner was airlifted from the scene to University Hospital Limerick and later transferred to Cork University Hospital where she remained in a critical condition with life threatening injuries.
Gardaí told contested bail hearings for each of the two accused females that, prior to the attack on Ms Faulkner, the adult accused burgled and smashed up a caravan and that the accused girl video recorded the attack on the caravan.
Gardaí alleged the adult accused had been searching for Ms Faulkner for 24 hours prior to the attack.
Gardaí further claimed that, in the lead up to the assault on Ms Faulkner, the accused woman drove a Volkswagen Touran car, carrying the accused girl and others as passengers, overtaking a number of vehicles near Birdhill as she pursued Ms Faulkner and a male who were travelling in a van.
Gardaí alleged the accused woman pursued the van for a number of miles and eventually rammed the van on the R494 road forcing it to stop.
The court heard dash-cam and CCTV footage supported Garda evidence.
Gardaí said that, following the ramming, Ms Faulkner was seen fleeing from the van along the R494 towards a roundabout outside Birdhill, before she was allegedly attacked by the accused girl.
Gardaí said the girl can be seen in video footage alighting from the accused woman’s car with a weapon in her hand and running after Ms Faulkner.
Gardaí claimed the accused girl struck Ms Faulkner at least 11 times on her head while Ms Faulkner was lying on the roadside.
“Each injury is sustained to the head. 11 blows to the head can be observed on CCTV,” a Garda told the court, describing the alleged attack as “callous”.
The Garda said the girl showed a “complete lack of empathy” by laughing when Gardaí later showed her a still image of Ms Faulkner at the scene.
Gardaí told the court they believe another young person at the scene recorded the alleged assault on a mobile phone.
It’s alleged that, following the assault, the accused girl threw the iron bar at the man who had been travelling with Ms Faulkner.
The Garda gave uncontested evidence that the girl told Gardaí during interviews: “I followed her and I hit her a few times with the pole and that’s what happened.”
Neither of the accused made any reply to the charges, the court heard.
There was a heavy Garda presence inside the court during the hearings.
Two solicitors for each accused said their clients would abide by any bail conditions.
Objecting to bail, Gardaí said they believed that, if granted bail, each accused would commit serious offences and not abide by any bail conditions.
Judge Coolican said she was satisfied to refuse bail for both accused.
The judge said each accused was before the court with a presumption of innocence.
She remanded the girl to a youth detention facility, and the woman to a remand prison, to appear via video-link before Tipperary District Court, sitting in Thurles, on April 1.
– Court Reporting Scheme