Woman’s high rate of offending ‘very rare’

A woman with more than 200 previous convictions was found carrying a knife and shouting at a taxi driver as a judge described her rate of offending as extremely rare.

Judge Con O’Leary jailed Ellen Scannell, of 7 Rathmore Rd, Cork, for five months yesterday at Cork District Court. “She is a rare individual. She is 39 and the number of women who accrue convictions at her rate is extremely rare.”

Frank Buttimer, solicitor, said the defendant had been doing well and complying with the directions of the probation service for about 15 months before this incident occurred. However, he said the defendant’s father died as a result of a relatively short illness and had been buried the day before.