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Woman who carried out 'barbarous' knife attack with sexual element has appeal dismissed
Summary
In a case heard at the Court of Appeal, Martina Rooney, aged 40, was found not to have successfully overturned an eight‑year jail sentence for a violent assault that took place in Temple Bar, Dublin, on 13 June 2020. The assault involved Rooney repeatedly stabbing a woman over a missing €50 note, with the attack described as "barbarous" and aggravated by a sexual element that "humiliated intimate body parts." Medical reports noted extensive facial bruising and lacerations to the back, buttock and thigh, and the victim was also stabbed in the eye. Rooney had pleaded guilty to assault causing serious harm and robbery, and the Court of Appeal upheld the original sentence, noting the seriousness of the offence and the mitigating factors presented by her drug‑addiction background. Her co‑accused, Karl Fishe, 36, received a two‑year sentence for his role in the assault.
Who, what, where, when and why
What: Report matter: Woman who carried out 'barbarous' knife attack with sexual element has appeal dismissed. Charges or matters: counts of assault causing serious harm and robbery on June 13, 2020, at Adare Lane and Price's Lane, both Dublin 2; a charge of assault causing harm on the same date. Procedural stage: appeal
When:
- July 2021 Incident
- June 13 Hearing Or Sentence
- June 13, 2020 Incident
- 2022-10-14 Publication
Case subjects
Convicted Person
Charges: counts of assault causing serious harm and robbery on June 13, 2020, at Adare Lane and Price's Lane, both Dublin 2; a charge of assault causing harm on the same date (Admitted)
Plea: Guilty
Outcome: Karl Fishe (36) was jailed for two years for his part in the assault.
Convicted Person
Charges: counts of assault causing serious harm and robbery on June 13, 2020, at Adare Lane and Price's Lane, both Dublin 2; a charge of assault causing harm on the same date (Admitted)
Plea: Guilty
Outcome: Rooney's co-accused Karl Fishe (36) was jailed for two years for his part in the assault. The judge sentenced Rooney to nine years imprisonment, with the final 12 months suspended on strict conditions, taking the charge of robbery into consideration.
Places mentioned
- Court of Appeal
- Dublin
- Dublin Circuit Criminal Court
- Temple Bar
- Adare
- Adare Lane
- Price's Lane
- Dublin
- Dublin
- Stanhope Street
Topics
Drugs Stage Appeal Theft Violent Crime
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