Cork court: Man forced fence spike deeper into fleeing girl's leg

The attacker, 20-year-old Aaron Breen of 21 Midleton St, Cobh, was jailed for 10 months for the assault by Judge Olann Kelleher.
A teenaged girl trying to get away from a man who threatened to hit her head with a bottle got her leg caught on a metal spike while climbing over a fence and her attacker forced her leg deeper onto the spike.
The attacker, 20-year-old Aaron Breen of 21 Midleton St, Cobh, was jailed for 10 months for the assault by Judge Olann Kelleher
He pleaded guilty to the charge of assault causing harm to the young woman at Connolly Road on St. Patick’s Day 2017.
This was Breen’s second conviction for an offence of assault causing harm and he has one more conviction for common assault.
Defence solicitor, Shane Collins-Daly acknowledged the assault convictions and said: “Unfortunately, there is an issue there.”
Sergeant Gearóid Davis said a 17-year-old was with her friends at Ballyphehane Park on the evening of St. Patrick’s Day 2017 when an argument occurred and Breen threatened her that he would strike her over the head with a bottle.
While getting away from him she climbed over a metal fence in the park and the back of her upper leg caught on a spike.
“The defendant then walked away from her and went back to the playground. She is left with a permanent scar as a result,” Sgt. Davis said.
The judge said the assault causing harm charge was a serious one.
Defence solicitor, Mr Collins-Daly, said Breen was very sorry for what happened. “When questioned about the matter his recollection was quite hazy. He was extremely drunk at the time of the assault. He was highly intoxicated after drinking a lot of vodka.
“He wants to convey his apologies to the victim. He is very sorry. He is doing his best in prison (on another unrelated sentence) in accessing services and educating himself,” Mr Collins-Daly said.
Inspector Ronan Kennelly previously stated: “On arrival, the ambulance was leaving the scene with a female youth who had a laceration to her leg. The attending doctor (at CUH) noted a deep three-centimetre horizontal wound located on the posterior aspect of her mid-thigh which extended to tear the hamstring muscle.
“On March 19, 2017 she was taken to the plastic surgery operating theatre at CUH where the hamstring muscle was repaired and the wound closed."