Woman required plastic surgery after being hit by bottle in fight

A woman science student smashed a bottle over the head of another woman and then dragged it down the side of her face after a…

A woman science student smashed a bottle over the head of another woman and then dragged it down the side of her face after a night out in a Co Dublin disco, a court has heard.

Ms Diane Curtis required plastic surgery after the attack outside Nemo's in Dún Laoghaire after she and Chemaine Linnie had earlier clashed inside.

Ms Curtis (23) was waiting at the side of the road as her boyfriend went to find a taxi when she received a blow to the head and heard the sound of glass breaking.

Garda Declan Hartley told Mr Vincent Heneghan BL, prosecuting, that Linnie then dragged the broken bottle down the side of Ms Curtis's face and left a cut of between 6cm and 10cm in length. Ms Curtis was helped back inside Nemo's and Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard that some fighting continued outside.

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She was later taken to St Michael's Hospital for treatment before being transferred to St Vincent's and she had been told that her wound could not be stitched.

Linnie (20), Ballyogan Road, Carrickmines, Dublin 18, pleaded guilty to assault causing harm to Ms Curtis on February 24th, 2002.

Judge Desmond Hogan said there were aggravating factors in the case and he felt that, on balance, a custodial sentence should be imposed.

However, because she had no previous convictions and had brought €10,000 to court to offer as compensation, he wanted to see a report on Linnie from the Probation Services. He adjourned the case until June 15th.

Mr Niall Durnin SC, for Linnie, pleaded for leniecy because his client was only 18 and of "tender years" when the incident happened and she had never come to the notice of the gardaí before. A lot of alcohol had been consumed by everyone on the night and it was a scene which was all to familiar to the courts.

Mr Durnin said that Linnie wanted to express her utmost sorrow for the attack and had managed to raise €10,000 through the help of her parents and by selling her car.