A woman in her 30s accused of stabbing her partner with an eight-inch chef’s knife has been remanded in custody, after a judge said there was a “huge” likelihood of a further serious incident if she was released on bail.
The woman appeared before Judge Anne Watkin at Dún Laoghaire District Court charged with assaulting her partner and causing him harm at a residence in Co Dublin on July 25, contrary to Section 3 of the Non-Fatal Offences against the Person Act 1997.
Garda Andrew Shanley said officers were called to the couple’s home after a neighbour reported a violent domestic dispute.
The witness said he could see blood as soon as he opened the front door.
The court heard that the man suffered a stab wound to his right forearm, allegedly caused by a knife with an eight-inch blade. He was taken to hospital and has since been discharged, but did not attend the bail hearing.
Garda Shanley objected to bail under Section 2 of the Bail Act, citing the seriousness of the allegation and concerns that the woman could commit a serious offence while on bail.
He also objected under the O’Callaghan principles, alleging there was a risk that she could interfere with or intimidate the injured party.
Garda Shanley further raised concerns that the woman might fail to appear in court. He said she had spoken while in Garda custody about wanting to travel and had family living abroad.
Defence solicitor Andrew Vallely asked the court to grant bail subject to strict conditions.
He said the woman had strong family support and was willing to surrender her passport and all other travel documents, obey a no-contact condition and abstain from alcohol.
Mr Vallely said the woman wished to return to her home and would stay away from the injured party.
He said the pair had a volatile relationship and that alcohol was the main contributor to the difficulties between them.
Judge Watkin said she would not make a ruling on which party was entitled to remain at the property when the alleged injured party was not present in court.
The judge said the Section 2 objection was the more realistic ground for opposing bail.
She said the central issue was the risk posed to the injured party, given the seriousness of the alleged offence.
“The likelihood is huge that it would happen again”, Judge Watkin said.
She described the charge as extremely serious and noted that the allegation involved the use of a knife.
Judge Watkin refused bail and remanded the woman in custody to appear before Court 2 at the Criminal Courts of Justice at 10.30am on August 12.