Cork street attack case ‘too serious’ for district court

A JUDGE decided that the case against a man accused of attacking a woman in Cork city centre was too serious to be dealt with at district court level.

Robert Nachtygal, aged 38, of no fixed address, faces a charge of assault causing harm to a woman in her 30s last October.

Garda Kevin Roche charged Mr Nachtygal, who appeared at Cork District Court.

Judge Mary Dorgan asked for an outline of the allegations in the case so that she could decide on the issue of jurisdiction.

After hearing the outline, Judge Dorgan said it was too serious to be dealt with at the district court.

A book of evidence will now have to be prepared in the case, and Judge Dorgan adjourned the matter until July 22 to allow time for that to be prepared.

Sergeant Dave Delea outlined the background to the case, which arose out of an alleged incident after 9.30pm on October 23, 2023, on Lower Oliver Plunkett St, Cork.

“It is alleged that Robert Nachtygal, of no fixed address, pinned a 35-year-old woman up against a wall on Lower Oliver Plunkett St and punched her a number of times into the face and head, only stopping when another man intervened,” said Sgt Delea.

“The woman then walked away but returned almost immediately at which point [Mr Nachtygal] caught her by the hair and dragged her over to a nearby car and he pinned her up against this.

“It is alleged that Robert Nachtygal then picked up a bottleneck of a broken Smirnoff vodka bottle and drew it up to her face in a very aggressive manner trying to stab it at her face and neck, barely giving the woman enough time to get her right hand up to her face to protect herself, receiving cuts to her hand and wrist in doing so.

“She received a gash that was bleeding heavily.

“The entire incident was captured on CCTV.”