Kerry woman tried to strangle neighbour, assaulted garda with bat and spray painted garda station
The KerrymanA Listowel woman who attempted to strangle her neighbour, vandalised her home, and assaulted a garda with a baseball bat, was convicted at a sitting of Tralee District Court on Wednesday.
A woman told the court she was “absolutely traumatised” when someone that she had considered a “great old friend” had attacked her, leaving her with severe bruising on her neck and chest.
Helene Griffin (43) of 30 Cashen Court, Dun Alainn, Clivereragh, Listowel faced charges relating to two separate incidents.
Ms Griffen was charged with producing an article capable of inflicting serious injury, property damage and multiple assaults on July 24, 2025.
Separately, she was charged with property damage at Listowel Garda Station on July 22, 2025.
In relation to the assault charges, the court was shown time-stamped video footage from a doorbell camera of a woman pacing before a house at Cashen Close, Listowel swinging a baseball bat and smashing a house window.
The house owner, Sharon William, took the stand. She told the court that at noon on July 24, Ms Griffin had visited her house with a baseball bat that she hopped off the ground.
“So I went over to her house just to make sure she had calmed down,” Ms William said.
She said she found Ms Griffin on her couch with a bottle of vodka, which she moved into the kitchen out of concern for her friend. Ms Griffin then began strangling her, she said.
“She kept throttling me and then at the end she hit me right into the chest,” Ms William told the court. “I ran out of the house. I went home. And then there was another knock at the door.”
A moment later, a glass window in her house was broken, she said.
“Then she just strode away,” said Ms William. “She simply walked away, shaking her bat. That was it then, I rang the guards.”
Ms William described the hit to her chest as “a total punch”.
Ms Griffin’s solicitor, Pat Mann, noted Ms William’s medical report from July 30 had been submitted as evidence. It described bruising on her interior chest wall, a large bruise over the right chest and bruising on the right arm, as well as psychological distress.
However, he said, the doctor had not highlighted any injury related to her neck.
Mr Mann read an earlier statement by Ms William, where she said she had gone to Ms Griffin’s house to retrieve a package of cigarettes she stated was taken by Ms Griffin.
In the statement, Ms William said she took a pouch of tobacco from Ms Griffin and told her to put the bottle away, saying she’d “get in trouble”.
“I suggest you had no business going into this lady’s house,” said Mr Mann.
“I’ve been absolutely traumatised, I’ve gone through everything,” Ms William replied to the court.
Under cross-examination by Inspector Kevin Long, Ms Williams clarified her relationship with Ms Griffin.
“Helene and myself are great old friends,” she said. “We used to have a few drinks. I used to always call into Helene and she’d call into me.”
Garda Dyllan Nolan testified that he and Garda Joseph Walsh were dispatched to the scene, where they found the defendant on the road, waving a bat and making an obscene gesture before a crowd of about 30 people, most of whom were children.
The court heard that Ms Griffin proceeded to walk into her house and taunt gardaí to come and get her.
Gda Nolan said when he entered her house, Ms Griffin picked up a metal bat, swore at him and swung the bat, hitting his right shoulder.
Gda Walsh then entered and used pepper spray, he said.
Ms Griffin was arrested and taken to Tralee Garda Station.
Gda Walsh testified that Ms Griffin shouted profanities each time they walked away from the house. He said he then drove the car out of sight and when Ms Griffin opened the door, Gda Nolan gained access.
A struggle between Gda Nolan and Ms Griffin was underway when he returned and he saw the defendant strike his colleague with a baseball bat, the court heard.
“I deployed pepper spray and she hit me on the left thigh,” Gda Walsh said.
The gardai testified that the woman in the video footage wore the same clothes as Ms Griffin at the time of arrest.
Photographs showing severe bruising on Ms Williams neck and chest were presented to the judge.
Sergeant Melanie Walsh testified that the photos were taken on the evening of the incident when she was present.
“What have you to say about that evidence?” asked the judge.
“There was no assault,” said Ms Griffin. “I never laid a hand on her.”
Ms Griffin said they were having a drink and began arguing. “Next thing I knew, she was heading out the door with a full pouch of tobacco,” she said.
Ms Williams then returned and would not leave, she said.
Afterwards, she “drank a lot of vodka” over 20 to 60 minutes and went to her house.
When gardai arrived, Ms Griffin alleged, “I opened the front door and they rugby tackled me to the ground and got me into the van. In the van, they pepper sprayed me.”
In a separate incident, the defendant was charged with property damage for spray painting two concrete pillars at the entrance to the Listowel Garda Station on July 22, 2025.
The court was shown time-stamped CCTV footage of a woman standing before pillars at the Listowel Garda Station at 10.35am. Photographs of the graffiti were provided to the judge.
Gda Walsh said a different camera allowed him to zoom up and better view the woman at the pillars, who he identified as Ms Griffin. This footage was not provided to the court because the zoom function cannot be recorded.
Gda Walsh said he visited her residence at 3.15pm and found her wearing the same clothes as the woman in the video.
“A can of spray paint was also visible on the coffee table in the living room,” he said.
Ms Griffin pleaded not guilty and told the court she was at home at that time.
Judge Waters considered the evidence of both incidents.
“The kindest thing I can say of Ms Griffin’s evidence is she’s extremely economical with the truth,” he said.
He added, “What the evidence does show beyond any reasonable doubt is that an assault happened.”
Regarding the property damage at the garda station, he noted there were two elements of identification, the CCTV footage shown in court and garda testimony.
“Had she given some reasonable explanation for being there, that might have given some doubt,” he said.
Ms Griffin appeared for sentencing in Tralee court a week later, on October 15.
The court heard she had nine previous convictions and had been in custody since July 25.
Judge Waters noted her poor demeanour in court and her disregard for the charges, which were committed on a suspended sentence.
The judge noted she had spray painted “the most vile” matters onto the Garda Station.
“The whole way through the proceedings she had no insight, no remorse,” he said. “What can I do?”
She was remanded on a bail of €200 to November 26, with a suspended sentence requiring engagement with the Probation Service.
“She must do exactly what they tell her,” said the judge, warning if she committed a further offence or did not engage with services, she would be jailed.
‘If she doesn’t cooperate, a sentence of 10 months,” he said.