A judge said yesterday he had a duty to ensure that citizens of Cork and visitors to the city had a right to go to nightclubs and walk the street in safety after hearing of an assault on a Dublin man who was attacked and robbed in August 1996.
Yesterday, Yvonne Green (19), from Mary Aikenhead Place, Cork, changed her plea after a 1 1/2-day hearing to one of guilty of robbing Mr Peter Corcoran of credit cards, a small sum of money and other items at The Mardyke, Cork.
Her uncle, Peter Green, of Churchfield Avenue, Gurrana braher, had already pleaded guilty to a similar charge last Wednesday.
Mr Corcoran was set upon by a group who kicked and beat him, robbing him of his wallet and other property.
Judge Patrick Moran said Yvonne Green, who handed £1,000 compensation to Mr Corcoran, may have believed there was a party involved and that something triggered off the incident in which she took part. He imposed a three-year suspended sentence and bound her to the peace for four years.
The judge imposed a three-year prison sentence on Peter Green and said he would review it after 18 months, despite the fact that he had offered to pay Mr Corcoran substantial compensation.
Mr Corcoran, a Dublin man living in Galway, said he was in Cork for a funeral. He went to Club 33, where he started talking to Yvonne Green, who was there with three friends, two men and a woman.
They invited him to accompany them to a party and they set out walking from the club near Washington Street. On a few occasions he had second thoughts and considered returning to the club, but the group assured him there was nothing wrong. Mr Corcoran said he told Peter Green he believed they were going to rob him and he said he would prefer if they just took his wallet.