A WOMAN who inflicted six stab wounds on another woman in what a judge described as a “ferocious, frenzied, brutal and savage” attack in the centre of Drogheda has been jailed for seven years, with the final two suspended, at Dundalk Circuit Criminal Court.
The court heard Nicola Smith (38), from Cannon Street, Kells, Co Meath, had taken head shop products as well as vodka and wine on top of prescription medications for a psychiatric illness at the time.
She pleaded guilty to assault causing serious harm to Therese Moore on West Street, Drogheda, on the night of March 20th last year.
The knife attack left the victim with injuries to her abdomen and chest, and doctors said she needed immediate surgery “to save her life”, prosecutor Kevin Seagrave said.
She had internal bleeding in her chest wall, two injuries to her bowel and blood had collected in her abdomen due to an injury to an artery.
In her victim impact statement, Ms Moore (61) said she was “haunted by the memory” of the attack.
In court, Smith apologised to Ms Moore and her family, saying: “I behaved like a wild animal and attacked somebody for no reason.”
She said she could not remember what she did, but she was “really really sorry,” and said she deserved whatever sentence she got.
Judge Michael O’Shea was told Ms Moore was with her daughter and they were making their way to a 40th birthday party in a hotel at 10pm when Smith approached and asked her for a light for a cigarette. As Ms Moore replied “sorry I don’t smoke”, she saw a knife in Smith’s hand and almost immediately she was stabbed and fell to the ground.
The attack happened near a taxi rank and three taxi drivers ran to her aid.
They shouted at Smith to drop the knife, convinced her to lower it and then to drop it. Two of them restrained her until gardaí arrived and arrested her. She told gardaí she always carried a knife but claimed she had no memory of the attack.
In her victim impact statement Ms Moore said she understood the public interest in the case, but said “I don’t like to be in the spotlight,” and she felt her privacy had been taken away as a result.
She said the attack had traumatised her daughter and was an ordeal for the whole family.
The court heard Smith had personal issues which had culminated shortly before the attack and her barrister, Jonathan Kilfeather SC, outlined her psychiatric history to the court.
He said she drank a bottle and a half of wine, nearly a litre of vodka and then took synthetic cannabis and synthetic ecstasy tablets which were head shop products. This was on top of prescribed medication.
Judge O’Shea said the attack could only be described as “ferocious, frenzied, brutal and savage”, and the multiple stab wounds “indicate substantial force when plunging or putting the knife into Ms Moore”. He praised the taxi drivers for their conduct.
He imposed a seven-year jail term with the final two years suspended on condition Smith is of good behaviour for three years after her release.