Woman denies slashing other woman's face

A 22 year-old woman has denied slashing another woman's face with a broken glass in the VIP section of Club M in Dublin's Temple Bar area after they had an argument over a stool.

A jury at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard both women were taken to St James Hospital in the aftermath of the altercation. The alleged victim received stitches to her face while the accused was hospitalised for two days.

Lisa Freeman (22), North Circular Rd, Dublin 7 pleaded not guilty to assault causing harm to Ms Ann Marie Duignam in Club M at Blooms Hotel on August 26 last year.

Ms Duignam's boyfriend, Mr Liam Nolan, told prosecuting counsel, Mr Tony Hunt BL, he went with her and two friends to Club M where they found seats in the old VIP section.

Ms Duignam and her friend were dancing and he went to sit down on a high stool. He missed the seat and brushed off a girl sitting behind him. He apologised to her and sat down.

Mr Nolan said he then turned around and saw Ms Duignam having words with this girl who started pulling her hair. Ms Duignam pulled her hair back and he went to break them up.

After he had pulled them apart, he saw blood coming from Ms Duignam's face. He put his hand up to her cheek to stop the flow of blood. The other girl came towards them and he shoved her backwards.

The security staff were alerted and Ms Duignam and Mr Nolan were taken into the hotel lobby and an ambulance was called.

Mr Nolan denied in cross-examination by defense counsel, Ms Geraldine Small BL, that he was drunk and had fallen on top of Ms Freeman, causing her to fall to the ground.

He said the girl behind him had obviously pulled the seat from under him as he went to sit down.

He denied head-butting her in the face and said he would never "lay a hand on, kick, or head butt a girl".

Garda Jason McDonnell told Mr Hunt he took a statement from Ms Freeman a few days after the incident in which she said she was sitting on a high stool at a table with her boyfriend when a man stumbled off the dance floor and went to sit down behind her.

He fell sideways off his stool on top of her and they both fell to the ground. She had a glass in her hand which broke. The man started laughing and she assumed it was because he had fallen.

She picked herself up when a woman in a red top approached her and told her to apologise to her boyfriend. Ms Freeman refused saying he had fallen on her. The girl grabbed her hair and Ms Freeman said she tried to push her off.

Ms Freeman claimed that after they separated, the man who had fallen head butted her in the face and she flew backwards into some stools.

Ms Freeman said when she stood up she saw what she thought to be a small piece of glass in her hand. She removed it and blood started pumping out.

Gda McDonnell said Ms Freeman was taken to St James Hospital where she was hospitalised for two days and had an operation on tendons around her thumb.

The trial continues tomorrow before Judge Frank O'Donnell.