Daughter’s bottle rage leaves mum with scars after assault over loud music in Limerick

A DAUGHTER assaulted her mother with a Heineken bottle - causing permanent scarring - after being told to turn down loud music at 2.30am.

The mother, aged in her 50s, has “come to fear her own daughter” and described it as “a completely unprovoked attack”.

The Leader has chosen not to name the accused as it would identify her mother.

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Prosecuting barrister Lily Buckley, instructed by State solicitor Brendan Gill, outlined the evidence with the assistance of Garda Andrew Maher at Limerick Circuit  Court on Monday afternoon.

The accused, who is aged in her 20s, pleaded guilty to assault causing harm at a property in the Croom area on a date in April 2022.  

“Two to three years prior to the incident the accused had some issues that her mother was concerned with - drinking and maybe dabbling in drug use. Arising from that her daughter moved away from home but at the time of the incident her mother had taken her back into the home. She was seeking to help her daughter ‘stay on the rails’ to use her own language.

“On the incident date there would have been drinking by the victim, the accused and two of the accused’s friends. Music was being played. The victim asked her daughter if she would turn the music down, not even off. This led  to her daughter getting what she called ‘riled up’,” said Ms Buckley.

The barrister said it was 2.30am and the mother was concerned about waking neighbours.

“The accused screamed at her and suddenly hit her with a Heineken bottle on her forehead. The victim said she hit her a second time with it on the chin. She described the blood starting to flow immediately and that her lip, nose, and forehead were all ‘split open’,” said Ms Buckley.

An ambulance was called in the early hours of the morning for the victim. A second ambulance was called for the daughter who the mother felt “pretended to have a seizure to garner sympathy”.

Ms Buckley outlined that the daughter approached her mother in UHL and was “taunting her”. 

The victim suffered a deep laceration to the right side of her lower lip, a horizontal laceration to the right side of her forehead and superficial cuts to her nose. She required three stitches in her forehead and eight stitches in her lip  

When the daughter was questioned by gardai she said “all I remember is picking  up the bottle to throw it, but not to hit her”. 

“I don't know why I did it. I didn't want to cause any harm. It was just all a blur,” said the daughter, who told gardai she had six ciders and two shots of baby Guinness but hadn’t taken drugs. The victim told gardai she felt sorry for her mother. 

Ms Buckley said a medical report almost a year later showed that “unfortunately, it had become clear that there would be permanent scarring”.

The prosecuting barrister read out the mother’s victim impact statement in which she said, “I feel like I can constantly see the scar and that is a constant reminder of the attack when I look in a mirror”.

“People try to reassure me that they are not visible but I feel like I can see them and it hurts my self-esteem. I try to hide it with makeup but I feel that actually makes it worse and I can still see them. 

“I no longer have any relationship or anything to do with her. I'm contemplating leaving the town of Croom,” read out Ms Buckley from the victim impact statement.

The court heard the accused has three previous convictions for public order offences.

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Liam Carroll BL, who represented the accused, said the incident took place three years ago and his client has not come to garda attention since.

The barrister referred to the probation report compiled on the accused in which she outlined that the “incident took place in the context of a difficult family dynamic wherein her mother had been a daily drinker and had brought her up in that environment”.

“Matters became extremely acrimonious with the two of them drinking far too much and far too often.

“She was visibly upset talking about the incident and expressed genuine remorse. She has instructed me that she is apologetic for what happened. She is appalled by her behaviour. There has been no drinking or drug use since this incident,” said Mr Carroll.

He said that the breakdown in relations between her and her mother has left her feeling extremely isolated, deeply saddened and her own child has no relationship with its grandmother. 

“She has made her child her priority. She has made significant, positive changes in her life. She's a very capable young woman with no risk of reoffending," said Mr Carroll.

Judge Daly said he would take matters into consideration and adjourned sentencing.