Ex-boyfriend hit woman on head with full 7-Up bottle

A young woman was struck on the head with a full 7-Up bottle by her ex-boyfriend in a shopping centre.

The case against Christopher Kuhn, of Blarney Street, Cork, was listed for hearing yesterday at Cork District Court.

Kuhn failed to appear for the case. His solicitor, Frank Buttimer, was present. Judge Con O’Leary said the case could proceed in Kuhn’s absence.

Judge O’Leary convicted Kuhn on the charge of assaulting Danielle Brady, at Merchants Quay shopping centre, on August 24, 2016.

Judge O’Leary issued a warrant for the arrest of the defendant, on the application of the prosecuting inspector, Vincent O’Sullivan, so that he could be brought to court for penalty on the assault charge.

The injured party testified that her ex-boyfriend grabbed her by the back of the neck, elbowed her in the side of the face, and hit her on top of the head with a full, plastic 7-Up bottle.

She said that as he left Merchants Quay, he said to her, in a threatening manner: “I will see you very soon.” She said he pointed the bottle at her when he allegedly said this to her.

Garda Don Coomey gave evidence of interviewing the defendant.

A memo of this interview was read in court. The young man outlined a domestic background to the encounter between the parties in the shopping centre.

He claimed the injured party was drinking a bottle of 7-Up, but that he did not hit her with it.

He accepted he did say he would see her very soon, but was only referring to seeing her in court.

“I did not hit the girl into the head,” he said in the course of his interview with Garda Coomey.

Judge O’Leary said there was some ambiguity in the complainant’s evidence about the initial part of the altercation, and he said, in respect of this part, that there may have been some element of self-defence.

However, he said what happened after this was an assault by Kuhn on Ms Brady. He said there was a clear assault and there was a second assault in striking her with the bottle.

It will now be a matter for the defendant to be arrested and brought to court for penalty.