A Co Clare woman who repeatedly hit a teenager below the eye with the heel of a stiletto shoe has been given a two-year suspended sentence at Ennis Circuit Court.
Shannon Jordan (19), of Lios Anana, Sixmilebridge, pleaded guilty to assault causing harm to Natasha Griffin McMahon on August 25th, 2015.
The victim said she came close to being blinded in the drunken attack which happened in Shannon town after a school debs ceremony held earlier that night in Limerick.
Ms Griffin McMahon - who was aged 17 at the time - suffered a fractured eye socket and lacerations. She was hospitalised for 10 days afterwards and required months of post-operative care.
Handing down the suspended sentence, Judge Gerald Keys said Jordan had made every effort to rehabilitate herself including an offer to meet her victim as part of a restorative justice programme.
The judge told Jordan that he had “no doubt that this has been a bad experience for you - also for your victim as well - but there is absolutely no reason that you shouldn’t have a bright future ahead”.
He said he did not expect she would be back before the court again and that she “must appreciate the seriousness of what took place that night”.
In her victim impact statement, Ms Griffin McMahon said the deepest cut from the stiletto “was millimetres below my eye”.
“If it had been even slightly higher I would have lost my eye completely or at best my sight. It terrifies me to think of how much my life would have been affected if that had happened.”
Facial injury
Ms Griffin McMahon said that she had to undergo extensive medical treatment to deal with her facial injury after the attack. She said she feels lucky that the outcome was not worse for her.
“It still un-nerves me to think how close I came to being blinded. And to how much worse this could have been. It is shocking how quickly a weapon was introduced to this altercation and how dangerous it proved to be,” she said.
It is accepted that Jordan - who was 17 at the time - did not remove her stiletto shoes for the purpose of attacking Ms Griffin McMahon on the night. She was carrying them in her hand after the night out.
Jordan, who is working as a waitress in a licensed premises in Bunratty, has been paying compensation to Ms Griffin McMahon at a rate of €50 a week since February of last year and has to date paid some €2,300. She has been ordered to pay a total of €5,000 to Ms Griffin McMahon.
Judge Keys said Jordan’s conduct on the night was alcohol fuelled and that a Probation Report has shown that she has come to realise the consequences of her actions. Last August she signed up to a victim empathy programme to increase awareness of harm caused by her offending.
As part of the suspended sentence conditions, Jordan has agreed not to re-offend and not to be found in a public place or a pub under the influence of alcohol.
