Teenage girl threw shoe at intruder after alleged assault

Accused denies kicking in the door and hitting complainant 

A teenager who was traumatised by being assaulted by a stranger who kicked in her front door reacted by throwing a shoe at the intruder — but the shoe flew over her head.

The assailant denied the assault on the teenager in a trial at Cork District Court.

The victim was 16 at the time and cannot be identified.

Judge Marian O’Leary convicted the 25-year-old defendant, Ewelina Lukaszka of The Mews, Greenvalley, Douglas, Cork, on a simple assault charge.

Inspector Anne Marie Guiney said a victim impact statement would have to be prepared in advance of sentencing, which was adjourned until July 15.

The teenager, now 17, said there had been an earlier incident that day but the nature of this incident was not revealed during the assault trial. 

She said she was sitting out in the hall of her home checking her phone when the accused kicked in the door.

“She came in and hit me. She started screaming. I did throw a shoe but it did not hit her — it missed her. There was another girl with her. She was behind her, laughing at me.

“My jaw started swelling up. I have pictures on my phone and everything. It started to hurt to the point I could barely speak. It was so sore.

“I am scared of my life what she is going to do next if she is going to do something like that. I am still in trauma over what happened,” the teenager said in relation to the incident on April 24 2020. 

Defence barrister Alan O’Dwyer, said: “My client said the door was open, she did not kick it open. She denies wholeheartedly that she assaulted you. But she agrees with you that you threw shoes at her.” 

The injured party’s mother also gave evidence and she was also challenged by the barrister about her memory of the incident.

She replied: “I know what happened. I saw what happened. Please don’t confuse my brain. A strange person attacks my daughter — how would you feel if someone assaulted your child?”

Garda Mark O’Donovan responded to a call to the scene and he observed bruising and swelling around the teenager’s jaw and mouth and he said she alleged she was punched twice in the face. She was later taken to Cork University Hospital by ambulance.

In his closing submission, Mr O’Dwyer said the evidence from the complainant’s mother was somewhat incredible. As for the complainant, he said: “A stranger calls and her instinct is to run towards her.” 

The barrister did not call the defendant to give evidence. He said: “She made a voluntary cautioned statement to gardaí where she denied everything — she is still denying it.”