Woman jailed after comment led to attack
Despite denials of assault by Samantha Murphy of Carrigbeg apartments, Sunday’s Well, Road, Cork, she was convicted of assaulting Leona Hayes at her home at Ardcullen, Hollyhill, Cork, on June 8, 2015. The case had been adjourned to yesterday for a report on Murphy.
Judge Con O’Leary warned Murphy when he convicted her of assaulting Ms Hayes that a jail sentence was probable. Yesterday he imposed the three-month term.
Murphy’s partner, Anthony Crowley, also of Carrigbeg, was given a six-month sentence for his part in assaulting Ms Hayes but his sentence was suspended on condition that he stay away from Ms Hayes for a year. The judge said Crowley only went there and got involved in the violent assault because Murphy wanted to have it out with Ms Hayes.
Ms Hayes said she was at home that day when she heard a loud bang and she went out to find Samantha 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.
“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,” Ms Hayes said.
Murphy picked up a flower pot from outside the door and threw it into the hall damaging a radiator cover.
Samantha Murphy said there were messages on Facebook blaming her for the break-up of Leona Hayes’s relationship of 10 years with Anthony Crowley’s brother.
Murphy said her hope was that they would, “have it out over a cup of tea to find out what was going on”. Both Murphy and Crowley were convicted of assault. Murphy was also convicted of causing criminal damage.
