Ireland Woman jailed for assault causing harm on elderly neighbour in Abbeylara, Co Longford
On 12 November 2023 at 7.40pm, Denise Curran, a 39-year-old woman, pushed her 69-year-old neighbour halfway down a flight of stairs at Rath Beg apartments in Abbeylara, Granard, Co Longford, after the neighbour knocked to complain about loud music. The victim fell about nine steps, suffered a deep cut to the top of her head that needed five stitches, and was taken by ambulance to Mullingar General Hospital. Curran pleaded guilty at Longford Circuit Court to assault causing harm, and the victim impact statement was read to the court. On 20 November 2024, Judge Kenneth Connolly sentenced Curran to four and a half years in prison with the final twelve months suspended, and reports of the hearing say she was jailed, though the standfirst and introduction of the reports give three and a half years.
- Reportednot reported
- Arrestednot reported
- Chargednot reported
- In courtnot reported
- Verdictnot reported
- Sentenced20 Nov
2 reports
Key facts
consolidated from all reports- What happened
- Denise Curran, a 39-year-old woman, pushed her 69-year-old neighbour halfway down a flight of stairs.
- Where
- The assault happened at Rath Beg apartments, Abbeylara, Granard, Co Longford.
- When
- The assault happened on 12 November 2023 at 7.40pm.
- Cause
- The victim knocked on Curran's door to complain about loud music.
- Other details
- Curran said she had been drinking at the time of the incident.
- CCTV footage showed Curran pushing the victim down the stairs, while Curran said she had pulled the victim's arm and had not pushed her down the stairs intentionally.
- The victim fell about nine steps and suffered a deep cut to the top of her head that needed five stitches, and was taken by ambulance to Mullingar General Hospital.
- The victim said she stayed in her apartment more and socialised less after the assault.
- Curran's barrister said she had written a letter of apology to the victim.
- Investigation
- Gardaí first received a complaint from Curran about the incident.
- Charges
- Curran pleaded guilty to assault causing harm.
- In court
- Curran pleaded guilty at Longford Circuit Court, and the victim impact statement was read to the court.
- Judge Kenneth Connolly said Curran was at large when she committed the attack.
- Curran had a previous 15-month prison sentence from May 2023 and served only 21 days of it.
- Sentence
- Judge Kenneth Connolly sentenced Curran to four and a half years in prison with the final twelve months suspended, while the standfirst and introduction of the reports say three and a half years.
25 statements extracted from the articles
- whatDenise Curran pleaded guilty at Longford Circuit Court to assault causing harm. (longfordleader.ie)
- whatCurran pushed the victim halfway down a flight of stairs. (longfordleader.ie)
- whatCurran pushed her 69-year-old neighbour down a flight of stairs. (offalyexpress.ie)
- whatThe victim fell about nine steps and suffered a deep cut to the top of her head that needed five stitches. (offalyexpress.ie)
- whereThe assault happened at Rath Beg apartments, Abbeylara, Granard, Co Longford. (longfordleader.ie)
- whereThe assault took place at Rath Beg apartments, Abbeylara, Granard, Co Longford. (offalyexpress.ie)
- whenThe assault happened on 12 November 2023 at 7.40pm. (longfordleader.ie)
- causeThe victim knocked on Curran's door to complain about loud music. (longfordleader.ie)
- causeCurran said she had been drinking at the time of the incident. (offalyexpress.ie)
- investigationGardaí first received a complaint from Curran about the incident. (offalyexpress.ie)
- chargeCurran pleaded guilty to assault causing harm. (offalyexpress.ie)
- courtCurran had a previous 15-month prison sentence from May 2023 and served only 21 days of it. (longfordleader.ie)
- courtThe victim impact statement was read to the court. (offalyexpress.ie)
- sentenceThe standfirst says Curran was jailed for three and a half years. (longfordleader.ie)
- sentenceJudge Connolly sentenced Curran to four and a half years in prison, with the final twelve months suspended. (longfordleader.ie)
- sentenceCurran was sentenced to four and a half years in prison, with the final twelve months suspended. (offalyexpress.ie)
- sentenceThe introduction reports that Curran was jailed for three and a half years. (offalyexpress.ie)
- otherCCTV footage showed Curran pushing the victim down the stairs. (longfordleader.ie)
- otherThe victim fell about nine steps and suffered a deep cut to the top of her head needing five stitches. (longfordleader.ie)
- otherThe victim was taken by ambulance to Mullingar General Hospital. (longfordleader.ie)
- otherCurran said she had pulled the victim's arm but had not pushed her down the stairs intentionally. (longfordleader.ie)
- otherThe victim said she stayed in her apartment more and socialised less after the assault. (longfordleader.ie)
- otherCurran's barrister said she had written a letter of apology to the victim. (longfordleader.ie)
- otherCurran had 69 previous convictions, including six assault-related convictions. (offalyexpress.ie)
- otherThe judge said Curran was at large when she committed the attack. (offalyexpress.ie)
The reporting
newest first- 20 Nov2024Woman who 'snapped' and attacked elderly neighbour in 'callous' attack in the Midlands jailed
Sentencing report at Longford Circuit Court. The article is internally inconsistent on the sentence: the introduction says three and a half years, while the body says four and a half years with the final twelve months suspended. Both are recorded as stated.
convicted, Denise Curran, 39, female, named, irish (judged from name)Denise Curranvictim, Marian Lynch, 69, female, irish (judged from name)Marian Lynch - 20 Nov2024Woman who 'snapped' and attacked neighbour (69) in 'callous' Longford apartment attack is jailed
Court report of the sentencing hearing. The standfirst says Curran was jailed for three and a half years, but the body of the article says four and a half years with the final twelve months suspended. The article also reports that Curran had a previous 15-month sentence from May 2023 of which she served 21 days.
convicted, Denise Curran, 39, female, named, irish (judged from name)Denise Curranvictim, Marian Lynch, 69, female, irish (judged from name)Marian Lynch