Mary Bridget McCann avoids jail for biting porter and stabbing cleaner

This report is a localnews.ie summary based on public court reporting and records; sources are listed below.

Mary Bridget McCann received concurrent sentences totalling two years, suspended for two years on strict conditions, at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court. Judge Melanie Greally sentenced her on 28 March 2022. The proceedings were reported on 28 March 2022.

McCann pleaded guilty to two charges of assault causing harm. The offences took place on 11 October 2020 at a hostel on College Street, Dublin 2, where she was a resident.

A fight broke out between McCann and another resident. A porter tried to intervene after seeing that McCann had a steak knife. McCann bit the porter’s finger and held it for 10 seconds. When a cleaner came to his colleague’s assistance, McCann stabbed him in the thigh.

At a previous sentencing hearing, Garda Cathal Kelly said McCann was arrested and questioned on the day of the offences. McCann said she had not meant to stab the cleaner and could not recall biting the porter. Garda Kelly also agreed that McCann claimed she carried the knife for her own protection.

The cleaner was treated for a 2cm cut, with no tendon or nerve damage. Garda Kelly agreed that he had not returned to work at the hostel because of anxiety about the assault. The porter received treatment for a bite wound and a preventive injection for hepatitis B and tetanus.

McCann had 23 previous convictions, including nine for assault causing harm and eight for assault. Judge Greally took account of her youth and vulnerability, her difficult transition from care to homeless accommodation, and her engagement with services. The judge noted that McCann was at moderate risk of reoffending and showed signs of gaining stability.