A woman has been jailed for five months for pulling a waitress's hair in an unprovoked attack outside a Galway city restaurant.
Gemma Ridgard (21), St Finbar's Terrace, Bohermore, Galway, pleaded guilty at Galway District Court to assaulting the waitress at the Spanish Arch, Galway, at 12.25am on May 6th last year.
Insp Sean Glynn told the court a young woman was taking a break from work and was having a cigarette with a colleague outside the restaurant when Ridgard came along and asked her for a cigarette. Ridgard then grabbed the woman by the hair and assaulted her for no reason.
The waitress later noticed some hair was missing from where Ridgard had attacked her. The accused, Insp Glynn said, had 43 previous convictions and was currently serving 14 months imposed in January for theft.
Defence solicitor Valerie Corcoran said Ridgard was very drunk at the time and had little recollection of the incident.
Judge Mary Fahy said this was a savage and vicious assault. She said Ridgard was getting social welfare and could well afford to buy her own cigarettes. The judge made the sentence consecutive to the sentence Ridgard is serving.