A Dublin hairdresser who repeatedly punched a woman and pulled clumps of hair from her head in a Dublin homeless centre pleaded guilty, “but there was not one word of remorse”, a court has heard.
Shauna Kavanagh, 35, of Holycross Avenue, Drumcondra, pleaded guilty to assault causing harm to the woman at the Novas Centre, Rathmines Road, on April 24, 2022.
Dublin District Court heard the injured party told gardai they were in the kitchen and the defendant was “staring at her”.
Read More: Four prison staff injured in Mountjoy attack allegedly led by gangland criminal
The victim walked over to the defendant and asked, “Why did you call me a knacker? You called me a knacker all week. Why did you steal my Easter egg?”.
In her statement, she said, “she grabbed her by the hair” and added that Kavanagh pulled her onto the ground and struck her with a closed fist four or five times. The court heard she told gardai Kavanagh sat on top of her and “pulled clumps of hair out of me”.
She received some medical attention and had a painful left shoulder afterwards.
The accused made the admission after the incident.
Kavanagh already had 15 prior criminal convictions since 2009, including one for assault causing harm, resulting in a two-year suspended sentence in 2021 on the conditions of keeping the peace and not re-offending for the following 12 months.
The victim, still homeless, was left “terrified” after the incident did not come to the hearing.
Kavanagh’s other offences were for a minor assault, criminal damage, as well as public order, traffic and theft-related offences.
The accused is serving sentences imposed in the District Court in March and May and is due for release in September.
Kavanagh is serving sentences in the Dochas Centre, the women’s section of Mountjoy Prison and on 23-hour lock up with no socialising and has a “very strict regime” and no visits.
Defence solicitor John Shanley said there had been a “build-up over a period of time, and Kavanagh had a different version but accepted “she acted in a manner she should never have”.
Due to the death of the accused’s mother, Kavanagh lived with an aunt and trained as a hairdresser. But the court heard Kavanagh travelled but ended up homeless on returning to Dublin.
Mr Shanley said his client worked full time and, since the assault, had received stable accommodation through the homeless services.
The solicitor said Kavanagh had completed anger-management and psychological courses in custody and was “doing very well”.
However, Judge Finan told the defence solicitor, “There was not one word of remorse here, nothing about the victim, all about the accused”.
Judge Finan adjourned sentencing for a probation report, which must include an assessment of Kavanagh’s suitability for community service.
The case resumes in August.
