Sentence on a man who knifed his partner's daughter from ear to mouth in a vicious, unprovoked attack, has been adjourned for a week because of recent media publicity.
Patrick O'Connor (61) from Hampstead Court, Ballymun, pleaded guilty to assault causing harm to Ms June de Khors (37) on July 17th, 2002 and was due to be sentenced for the offence at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court this morning.
However, Ms Marie Torrens BL, for O'Connor, applied to have the case adjourned because recent publicity surrounding the case had brought something to light and she wanted to give time for her solicitor to investigate certain matters before her client was sentenced.
Mr Vincent Heneghan BL, prosecuting, said the State had no attitude to the application and Judge Frank O'Donnell adjourned it until April 9th.
Judge O'Donnell said that every opportunity to investigate should be given to the defence where any matter sheds light on the reality of a situation.
"I can well understand the difficulty for the victim in this case. The court has much sympathy for her but at the end of the day I have a job to do and I will have to make decisions on this matter," he said.
Ms de Khors told the court on the last occasion that she wished she could have last year back and the incident had completely changed her life.
"I needed to receive plastic surgery the next morning and I'm due to go back this July for further treatment. I'm on sleeping tablets and have used numerous creams for my face but nothing seems to make it any better," she said.
"I don't work and I can't socialise because I'm too conscious of the scar and I receive counselling once a week. My whole life has changed and I can't hide what happened because of the scar. I thought I would be better dead," she added.