Lecturer stabbed love rival in arthouse cinema toilets

A media lecturer who stabbed a love rival in the face and neck with a wine glass has what Judge Desmond Hogan called the dark cloud of a custodial sentence looming over her.

Melanie Adams, who teaches Film and Television at the Ballyfermot College of Higher Education, had her sentence adjourned to February 5, 2004, to allow her raise "an acceptable level of compensation."

Adams (aged 42), from Idrone Close, Templeogue pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to assaulting 40-year-old Ms Caroline O'Hanrahan causing her harm on February 7, 2002. She has no previous convictions.

English-born Adams attacked Ms O'Hanrahan, an administrator for the Architectural Association of Ireland, in the ladies toilets of the Irish Film Centre when the two women went to discuss their romantic interest.

Adams had recently broken up with a man who Ms O'Hanrahan was meeting that night at the launch of a book about Irish film directors. Adams became upset at the function and the victim brought her in to the toilets to talk to her.

A waitress cleaning the toilets noticed the two women having a heated discussion and then Adams broke her wine glass off the hand basin and began stabbing Ms O'Hanrahan in the neck and face with it. She also punched her a number of times.

The waitress who witnessed the assault said both women appeared to be very drunk at the time of the incident, which was about 11.30 pm, and the book launch had begun at 5.30pm. She ran out to get the manager when the two women started to fight.

Judge Hogan said he regarded the case as very serious because while she might not have intended it to happen, Adams intentionally broke the glass and stabbed Ms O'Hanrahan, not once, but a number of times and left her scarred.

"The dark clouds of a custodial sentence are looming unless you can convince me otherwise," he told Adams' counsel, Mr Luan O Braonain BL.

Mr O Braonain said that his client only got paid during the college term when she was teaching. She had debts of €2,400 but the bank had agreed to loan her €1,000 to offer as compensation. Judge Hogan said this would be an insult to the victim.

Sergeant Anthony Brophy told Ms Roisin Lacey BL, prosecuting, that when the manager at the IFC came into the toilets he found Ms O'Hanrahan holding a tissue to her head with blood running down her face.

Adams attacked Ms O'Hanrahan when she told her to "get over it".

She was treated in St James' Hospital and received stitches to scars on her neck, her chin and her temple. The scars on her neck and face were permanent and she also experienced a numbness around her face for 12 months following the incident.

She came to the garda station the following day and reported the incident. Adams was arrested on March 8 and accepted full responsibility for the attack and expressed her sorrow.

Mr O Braonain said it was not a premeditated attack and happened on the spur of the moment. She wanted to apologise to Ms O'Hanrahan and was horrified that she had harmed her to such an extent.