Teen girl remanded for New Year's Eve assault on 'adopted gran'

A teenager who was one of three people who launched a violent, frenzied assault on her "adopted grandmother", a male guest and a disabled woman as they celebrated New Year’s Eve has been remanded in custody until sentence later this year by Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.

Amanda Cleary (aged 19) and accomplices set the disabled woman’s clothes on fire and doused her with boiling water, as well as using knives, a glass, a shovel and a crutch on the male victim on whom they also poured three saucepans of boiling water.

Cleary broke into the house of 63-year-old Ms Mary Cunningham five months later and threatened the woman who had cared for her as a child following her mother’s death that she would "cut her throat and bury her body in the garden".

She also threatened she would burn her house down and the burn the houses of any other witness if her (Cleary’s) name appeared in a book of evidence arising out of the New Year’s Eve incident.

She held a knife to Ms Cunningham’s throat on the third occasion, a few days later, and demanded money before she and accomplices took €90 from her pocket and left.

Detective Garda Andrew Digan said that the disabled woman, who suffers from multiple sclerosis, arrived at St James’ Hospital following the ew Year’s Eve attack in a state of reduced consciousness and spent 19 days in a burns unit.

Her male guest suffered a broken nose, stab wounds to his arms and legs and needed 26 stitches to his head and face

Det Garda Digan told Mr Dominic McGinn BL, prosecuting, that the victims were "too afraid" to provide victim impact reports for the court.

Cleary of Basin Street, Dublin 8, pleaded guilty to two counts of assault causing harm and one count of violent disorder on December 31, 2002.

She also pleaded guilty to a further two counts of burglary and witness intimidation on May 24, 2003 and a count of burglary on May 28, 2003. All offences took place at Ms Cunningham’s home in the Maryland area.

Judge Yvonne Murphy said Cleary had done the honourable thing in pleading guilty and ordered her to undergo psychological treatment. Her progress will assessed by the court on July 25, 2005 in advance of setting a sentence date.

Det Garda Digan said that disabled woman and her male companion were celebrating New Year’s Eve with Ms Cunningham at her home when Cleary arrived with two men and, after some dispute, entered the house.

Cleary’s male friends decided they wanted alcohol and insisted the male guest accompany them to an off licence. The two men were involved in a violent incident near the off licence while, back at the house, Cleary struck the disabled woman in the mouth.

The male guest told his companion and Ms Cunningham what the two men had done and remonstrated with Cleary when he heard what she had done. Det Gda Digan said this was the catalyst for the violence which followed.

One of the male attackers hit the male guest with a glass and a shovel. The other male attacker then attacked him with a crutch as Cleary set upon the disabled woman, who was unable to defend herself due to her disability, punching her in the face and kicking her legs.

Cleary was joined in her assault on the woman by one male attacker who held her arms as Cleary stabbed her head and wrists with a small knife.

The male guest, who was now in the hallway, was then stabbed with a fork and knife by one of the male attackers. Three saucepans of boiling water were also thrown over him.

Det Gda Digan said the water was boiled for no other purpose than for use in the attack..

Cleary and her friends then turned their attention to the woman. They forced her against a wall, punched her, doused her clothes with lighter fluid and set her alight and threw boiling water over her.

Det Garda Digan said they wrongly believed the male guest was unconscious and he took the opportunity to escape and raise the alarm.

He suffered a broken nose, stab wounds to his arms and legs and needed 26 stitches to his head and face and. The woman arrived at St James’ Hospital in a state of reduced consciousness and spent 19 days in a burns unit.

He told Mr McGinn that Cleary and two men broke into Ms Cunningham’s house on May 24, 2003 while she was home alone. They entered through a window and searched the house for money. They took medication worth €100.

Cleary told Ms Cunningham she would burn her house down, and the house of any witness, if her name appeared in a book of evidence in relation to the New Year’s Eve attacks. Cleary also told the 63-year-old she would "cut her throat and bury her body in the garden".

A friend of Ms Cunningham’s paid for a security guard to sit in her house for the next three days.

He took the fourth night off and Cleary, along with two women and a man, entered the house, held a knife to Ms Cunningham’s throat and demanded money. They took €90 from her and left.

Ms Cunningham made a victim impact report and has relocated. Det Gda Digan said: "Her basic wish is to be left alone by these people".

Mr Conor Devally SC, defending, told Judge Murphy his client had no previous convictions and had lost her parents and brother early in life.

Her mother, who died of cancer, asked Ms Cunningham on her death bed to keep an eye on Cleary and make sure she attended school.

Mr Devally described New Year’s Eve as a "frenzied, terrifying and violent event, difficult to believe when you read the statement". Cleary had fallen in with company known to gardaí, had many emotional problems and abused various substances as a means of escape.

He said she was only beginning to face up to what she had done and asked Judge Murphy to adjourn sentencing to allow her to make progress in that direction.