A pregnant mother of four was this week given a suspended five-year sentence for biting off another mother’s entire bottom lip during a drunken brawl almost three years ago.
The victim, has been left with permanent facial disfigurement and says she is often taunted by other women.
Anne Marie Byrne (41), from Crumlin Road, Dublin, who now lives in a housing association home in Mulhuddart, was living in rented accommodation in Ard Aoibhinn, Athenry, with her three young children when, on July 1, 2013, she attacked another woman, then aged 39, at The Plots, a green area at the back of Woodquay.
Byrne pleaded guilty before Galway Circuit Criminal Court in May 2014 to intentionally or recklessly causing serious harm to her victim, Helena Flaherty, and sentence was adjourned at the time and again that July when it emerged Byrne was an inpatient in a psychiatric unit.
Byrne appeared before the court in November 2014 for sentence and the matter was again adjourned to January 2015 as the court was told she was engaging with the probation and mental health services in Dublin.
At the time, Conal McCarthy, BL, defending, told Judge Rory McCabe he could not finalise sentence as Byrne was due to give birth to her fourth baby on March 13 and apart from that he was awaiting reports from a psychiatrist.
He said Byrne had been an inpatient in a psychiatric unit in Dublin and had a long history of depression and bipolar disorder, along with alcohol and drug addictions.
Judge McCabe adjourned sentence to April 29 last year, placing Byrne under the supervision of the probation service in the interim. On that date, a progress report stated Byrne needed more time to prove she had rehabilitated herself and finalisation of sentence was adjourned to last December and, then, to this week’s court.
Garda William Dilleen gave evidence at the initial court hearing in November, 2014 that both women had been drinking with separate groups at The Plots, which he described, as a common area where such groups often drink.
The women did not know each other prior to this and an argument started when Byrne began to pick on Flaherty.
Garda Dilleen said one thing led to another and both women fell on the grass where Byrne, who was on top, bit a 9 cm. square piece of flesh and tissue from Flaherty’s lower lip.
He happened to be on patrol in the area at the time and went straight to the scene where he found Ms Flaherty writhing in pain on the ground. She was covered in blood and her lower teeth and gums were exposed.
She was rushed to hospital by ambulance and he and other people set about searching the grass for the missing flesh. They found it six minutes later and he took it to the hospital in the patrol car.
Ms Flaherty underwent emergency surgery but plastic surgeons opted to reconstruct, Garda Dilleen said. Byrne was contrite and remorseful at the scene and co-operated fully in his investigation.
The court was told Ms Flaherty, whose children are in care and who had been living at Osterley Lodge at the time, had a troubled and abusive upbringing which led her to abuse drugs and drink in the past.
She told the court at the time she had been left permanently scarred and was being continually taunted by other women in prison where she was serving a short sentence for non-payment of fines.
She said her lower face was numb and she now spoke with a lisp. She had permanent scars around her mouth.
Ms Flaherty said her attacker deserved to go to prison for what she did to her.
Byrne, who is now eleven weeks pregnant with her fifth child, was back before the court this week for sentence.
Favourable reports were handed into court which confirmed she had complied with all rehabilitation services and was continuing to liaise with the probation and mental health services in Dublin.
Judge Rory McCabe said she had made great strides to get her life back on track and given she was the mother of a young family, it would not be in the interests of justice to incarcerate her.
He then imposed a five-year sentence which he suspended for five years, on condition she remain under the supervision of the probation service for the next twelve months and abstain from drugs and alcohol.
Byrne smiled with relief when she heard the sentence was being suspended.
“This isn’t over and it won’t be over for the next five years,” Judge McCabe was quick to remind her.
“If you come to the attention of the authorities during the next five years you will be brought back before this court and can expect no sympathy. I hope we don’t see you again,” he said.
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