Christina McCarthy nee Harty dived under her bed at her home to eventually escape the vicious assault

A grandmother was knifed in the face and beaten with sticks by a group of Traveller women at her home in Rathkeale, Co Limerick, a court heard.

Christina McCarthy nee Harty dived under her bed at her home to eventually escape the vicious assault, Limerick Circuit Criminal Court heard.

Ms McCarthy nee Harty, (61), was left with permanent disfiguring scarring to her face, following the attack on December 10th, 2019.

The victim told gardai she woke up in her bedroom surrounded by a least eight women who then set upon her.

“I can still see their faces and hear myself roaring for mercy to let me go, I don’t know how I survived it,” Ms McCarthy nee Harty said in a victim impact statement.

“They wanted me dead, that’s how I feel,” she added.

Prosecuting barrister, Lily Buckley, instructed by Limerick County State Solicitor, Brendan Gill, and assisted by Garda Sergeant Rob Sheehy, told the court that Ms McCarthy nee Harty was caught by her hair “like a rag doll” during the attack.

The defendants, including mother and daughter, Nora “Josie” Harty, (58), and Mary Ellen Daly, (35), both of Lisheen Park, Patrickswell, Co Limerick, pleaded guilty to assault causing harm to Ms McCarthy nee Harty.

Nora Harty is a first cousin of the victim, the court previously heard.

Their co-defendant Christina Casey, (48), of St Aidan’s Close, Brookfield, Tallaght, Dublin, pleaded guilty to violent disorder.

A fourth defendant, Rita Johnson, (51), of St Ita’s Street, St Mary’s Park, Limerick City, admitted one count of trespassing at Ms McCarthy nee Harty’s home, on the day in question.

The court heard that a day prior to the attack, the victim and her daughter were involved in an altercation with Ms Daly and another woman outside a shopping centre.

The victim told gardai she believed she struck Ms Daly first. It was heard there was another earlier alleged incident on board a “party bus”.

Ms Buckley said that on the day of the attack the victim was asleep in bed in her home around lunchtime when “she opened her eyes” and saw “three women coming for her” who were Ms Daly, Ms Harty and Ms Casey.

Ms Buckley said the victim said she heard Ms Harty tell her: “We’re not letting you go, we’re cutting you up, we’re killing you.”

Ms Buckley said Ms Daly also told the victim: “I’m cutting you up. I’m killing you.”

Ms McCarthy nee Harty told gardai she thought she was going to die as Ms Harty and Ms Daly attacked her with knives, and Ms Casey, who was armed with a baseball bat.

Ms Buckley said Ms Harty and Ms Daly caused slash injuries to the victim’s face and hands.

“She said she remembers them slashing at her face and she said Ms Daly caught her by the hair like a rag doll,” said Ms Buckley.

“She described her hand being slashed as she put it up to protect herself,” added the prosecution barrister.

Ms Buckley said other women were hitting the victim with sticks but the victim had told gardai that this was a bit of a “blur” in her memory.

“She said she crawled under the bed to save herself,” said Ms Buckley.

The four defendants were observed by an independent witness leaving the victim’s home. The witness told gardai they saw twenty people, angry and screaming, running from the victim’s home.

Ms McCarthy nee Harty was taken from the scene to University Hospital Limerick for treatment for slash wounds to her face, a thumb and an index finger.

Ms Buckley said the victim also underwent a number of surgeries as part of her treatment.

In a victim impact statement provided to the court, Ms McCarthy said: “My face and hands were destroyed, affecting how I look, I will never be the same in my face and the pain never goes away from my hand.”

Ms McCarthy nee Harty also stated that she continues to suffer with anxiety, panic attacks and she said she is constantly looking over her shoulder “waiting to be attacked again”.

Some time after the attack gardai arrested Ms Harty, Ms Daly, Ms Casey and Ms Johnson and they all denied being at the victim’s home on the day.

Photos of Ms McCarthy nee Harty’s slash injuries, as well as damage to a broken window and door, and blood and hair were shown to the judge.

Defence barristers Liam Carroll BL, for Ms Harty; and Grace Hogan BL, for Ms Daly; and Joseph McMahon BL, for Ms Casey; and Johanna O’Connor BL, for Rita Johnson, told the court their clients were remorseful and apologetic.

In further mitigation a number of positive reports prepared by the Probation Service and Tipperary Rural Travellers Project were provided to the court.

The four accused’s barristers asked sentencing judge, Fiona O’Sullivan, to spare their clients from an immediate custodial penalty and instead impose community service orders.

The judge said she would consider the evidence remanded the four accused on bail for sentence in March.