Flowerpot thrown in fight over Facebook claims
Samantha Murphy, of Carrigbeg apartments, Sundays Well Rd, Cork, denied assaulting Leona Hayes at her home at Ardcullen, Hollyhill, Cork, on June 8, 2015.
After hearing disputed evidence about who started the fight, Judge Con O’Leary convicted Murphy of assaulting Ms Hayes. He said a jail sentence was probable but asked for a probation report in advance of sentencing in a month’s time.
Murphy’s partner, Anthony Crowley, also of Carrigbeg, was also convicted of assaulting Ms Hayes. Judge O’Leary said a community service order was likely in his case because although he was involved in the violent assault, he only went there because Murphy wanted to have it out with Ms Hayes.
Ms Hayes said she was at home when she heard a loud bang. She went out to find Murphy looking very angry and asking, “What the fuck is going on?” All parties are aged around 30.
Ms Hayes said: “She punched me in the nose, there was blood everywhere. She came into the hallway at the bottom of my stairs and grabbed me by the hair. Anthony Crowley came in and punched me. I fell against the stairs.
“While Samantha was trying to get at my face with her nails, I kept her finger in my mouth to get her to stop scraping my face. Her finger went into my mouth. I kept her finger in my mouth to stop her from scraping my face.
“Both of them were kicking me and punching me. I had a morning coat on me. I tried to put it up around me to protect my face.”
A neighbour came over and Crowley and Murphy stopped and left. Ms Hayes said Murphy picked up a flowerpot from outside the door and threw it into the hall, damaging a radiator cover.
Murphy said there were messages on Facebook blaming her for the break-up of Ms Hayes’s relationship of 10 years with Anthony Crowley’s brother.
Murphy said: “I went down to the house because I didn’t want to be dragged into it. I did not want to be blamed for the break-up of her relationship. She was putting it all over Facebook, there were tyres getting slashed, and it was getting out of control.
“I didn’t go there to cause trouble — I went down to talk to her.”
Murphy said she only defended herself against Ms Hayes. “She put her hands on me first and she was mangling me. I went up to talk about it, I didn’t want to get tore all over her front porch.”
The evidence from Ms Hayes was that she defended herself against Murphy.
Both Murphy and Crowley were convicted of assault. Murphy was also convicted of causing criminal damage.
