A WOMAN who refused to give evidence earlier this week in an assault trial has been treated as a hostile witness at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.
The court has heard that injuries caused in the assault were so severe that the victim was left with his intestines protruding from his body.
Joy Coyle was one of 10 witnesses who, after taking the oath. refused to give evidence, saying - using similar forms of words - "With due respect to the court, I do not wish to give evidence", "I just don't wish to give evidence today", "It was a long time ago".
Darren Duff (36), Doon Court, Poppintree, has pleaded not guilty to causing serious harm to Stephen McCann on July 28th, 2001, at Hillcrest Estate, Lucan.
Ms Coyle agreed with Melanie Greally, prosecuting, yesterday that she described the incident in a statement to gardaí at the time but she could no longer recall any details of it and had not changed her position on giving evidence.
Ms Coyle agreed with Ms Greally that her statement had been read over to her at the time by gardaí and that she had signed it as being accurate.
Ms Greally read Ms Coyle's statement. It began with her describing how she had been standing outside a house in Hillcrest with several friends when they heard loud screaming and saw that a young woman was being attacked by a man in the front garden of a house.
Ms Coyle agreed that her statement said the woman was shouting "help me, help me" and the man shouted "get out of my house". She agreed she had said she did not know the couple.
She agreed that she had told gardaí how Mr McCann intervened and became involved in a struggle with the man and that Mr McCann hit him "in a reflex action" before Mr McCann's friend encouraged him to leave the scene.
Ms Coyle agreed that she told gardaí a man had then run on to the road carrying two large knives and stabbed Mr McCann, and that the man then shouted: "I told you to stay away. You deserve what you got."
She agreed that she told the gardaí that this man then threatened her and her friends and told them he would find out where they lived.
Ms Coyle told Patrick MacEntee SC, defending, that she did not remember anything about the incident now because it was seven years ago. The case continues.