Jail for woman who attacked neighbour with poker in Cork town

A Cloyne woman who recently went back to the home of a neighbour she had attacked with a poker over two years ago – banging at his door and shouting at him - was jailed yesterday.

Judge Seán Ó Donnabháin imposed a 12-month sentence on Sheila O’Keeffe with half of it suspended at Cork Circuit Criminal Court.

Peter O’Flynn, defence barrister, said the accused had spent the last two days in custody – her first time in jail – and she found it very difficult.

Garda Kieran Cotter said Sheila and Jason O’Keeffe had been directed to stay away from the assaulted neighbour. 

However, Sheila O’Keeffe breached the order by turning up outside the victim’s door on Christmas week, banging at his door and shouting at him.

Mr O’Flynn BL said she since moved out of Cloyne and went living in Watergrasshill. Her husband, Jason O’Keeffe, from whom she recently broke up, left Cloyne to live in Rostellan, Midleton, barrister William Bulman said.

Judge Ó Donnabháin imposed a fully suspended 12-month sentence on Jason O’Keeffe.

Both parties previously pleaded guilty to assault causing harm when they were living at Spittal Street, Cloyne, County Cork.

They admitted assault causing harm to Henry O’Callaghan.

Previously, Garda Kieran Cotter said the injured party told gardaí that he went out to his front door and that Jason O’Keeffe punched him in the face, knocking him back onto his sofa. He continued the assault when the injured party was on the sofa, the guard said.

Garda Cotter said Sheila O’Keeffe picked up Mr O’Callaghan’s poker and struck him with it. The victim lost four teeth and sustained other injuries during the assaults.

During various adjournments of sentencing the defendants gathered various sums of compensation between them for the injured party. With the €500 brought to court by Jason O’Keeffe yesterday, this came to a total of €4,200.