Girl and woman charged over Scarlett Faulkner fatal assault remanded in continuing custody

David Raleigh

A woman and a teenage girl were remanded in continuing custody Friday, charged in connection with the fatal assault of Limerick mother Scarlett Faulkner, four months ago.

The accused woman (40) and girl (17) both appeared before Nenagh District Court via video link.

The girl was 16 when she is alleged to have assaulted Ms Faulkner with an iron bar.

The court heard that a psychological assessment in respect of the accused girl is underway, three months after the court initially ordered the evaluation.

The 17-year-old accused is charged with assault causing serious harm to Faulkner (29), at the R494 Birdhill, Co Tipperary, on March 21 last.

The girl appeared before the court, accompanied by staff at a youth detention centre.

The accused woman is charged with violent disorder, endangerment, and burglary.

Members of Faulkner’s family were present in court.

Gardaí informed the court that a file was sent to the Director of Public Prosecutions in respect of each accused, and that directions were still awaited from the DPP’s office.

A four-week adjournment was sought by Gardaí and consented to on behalf of both accused by solicitor John Herbert, Herbert & Co Solicitors, Limerick.

Judge Marie Keane remanded the two accused in continuing custody to appear before Nenagh District Court again on July 10th for DPP directions.

Neither accused can be named because of reporting restrictions.

Last March, gardaí alleged during bail hearings for both accused that the accused girl struck Scarlett Faulkner’s head with an iron bar at least 11 times.

Gardaí also alleged that the girl laughed when investigators showed her a photograph of Faulkner’s injuries after the alleged attack.

Gardaí told the bail hearing that they responded to a report of a violent assault near Birdhill, Co Tipperary, on March 21st last, and found Faulkner lying on the R494 road with critical head injuries.

Gardaí said Faulkner was airlifted from the scene to University Hospital Limerick and later transferred to Cork University Hospital (CUH) where she remained in a “critical condition” with “life-threatening injuries”.

Faulkner died from her injuries on April 13th after her life support was turned off at CUH on April 12th.

Gardaí alleged that the accused woman had been searching for Faulkner for 24 hours prior to the attack, and that she burgled and smashed up a caravan, in seeking her.

The court heard the caravan burglary was allegedly recorded by the accused girl on a mobile phone.

Gardaí claimed that the accused woman drove herself, the accused girl and others in a car that pursued and rammed a van carrying Faulkner and a man on the R494 on March 21st.

Gardaí alleged Faulkner was witnessed exiting the rammed van and being pursued by the accused girl, who gardaí alleged struck Faulkner on her head at least 11 times with an iron bar.

“Each injury is sustained to the head. Eleven blows to the head can be observed on CCTV,” a garda told the court last March.

The prosecuting garda witness described as “callous” the alleged attack on Ms Faulkner, and told the court that another young female made a video recording of the assault using a mobile phone camera.

The garda gave uncontested evidence that the girl told gardaí during interviews after her arrest: “I followed her and I hit her a few times with the pole, and that’s what happened.”

Neither of the accused made any reply to the charges, gardaí told the court.