Drug addict cleaning blood from a syringe on Cork City street intimidated woman, court told

The accused was also allegedly caught stealing perfume at Brown Thomas

The judge adjourned penalty to allow time for a probation report and said to the young woman: 'What we want for you is that you will stay free of drugs.' File picture: iStock

A woman walking along a street in Cork City felt it necessary to go behind a car to avoid another woman cleaning blood from a syringe as she approached in the middle of the street.

Sergeant John Kelleher outlined this incident at Cork District Court where 32-year-old Ciara Murphy of no fixed address pleaded guilty to charges arising out of this incident and another one where she was allegedly caught stealing perfume at Brown Thomas.

“Just before 6pm on March 31, gardai were responding to reports of drug users in the area. While approaching the scene, the accused was observed walking on Mary Street with an uncapped syringe and she was cleaning the blood out of the syringe using saline water.

“Another woman was walking towards her and she appeared intimidated and stood behind a car to avoid her. Gardaí directed the accused to desist and directed her to leave the area.

“The accused capped the syringe and put it away but then started shouting and cursing at gardaí, shouting 'I'll walk wherever the f*** I want'. The accused was arrested,” Sgt Kelleher said.

She was charged with engaging in offensive conduct, under the Public Order Act.

One week earlier she entered Brown Thomas on St. Patrick’s Street, Cork, where she was observed by security staff concealing on her person a bottle of Hugo Boss perfume valued at €158.00 and a bottle of Armani perfume valued at €92.00. 

She walked out of the store with the concealed items and was stopped outside the store by security. The stolen items were recovered and in re-saleable condition.

Frank Buttimer, solicitor, said that in the latter incident there was an element of coercion by another person and that, unusually, the defendant made no effort to disguise her actions.

He said that in relation to the Mary Street incident she would not have been the reason gardaí went to the scene in the first place and that she was a vulnerable person, not least due to a seriously injured arm, for which she requires ongoing medical intervention.

Judge Dorgan adjourned penalty to allow time for a probation report and said to the young woman: “What we want for you is that you will stay free of drugs.”