AN AFGHAN woman bit another Afghan national when assaulting her in front of her children at her home after she went there to confront the woman over spreading rumours about her sending money home to a man in Afghanistan, a court has heard.
At Ennis District Court, Judge Adrian Harris has found Razia Malikzada (36) of Tobair Keel, Gort Rd, Ennis guilty of entering the home of married mother of five, Lema Popalzai at Corrovorrin Grove, Ennis on April 6th 2024 as a trespasser and committing an assault.
Judge Harris dismissed the same charge against a co-accused and next door neighbour of Ms Popalzai, Palwasha Jaid (40) of Corrovorin Grove, Ennis.
In evidence, Ms Malikzada admitted to biting Ms Polozai and told the court that it was in self-defence during their confrontation that ended up on the floor of Ms Popalzai’s hallway at 6pm on April 6th 2025.
Ms Malikzada told the court that she bit Ms Polozai “to get away from her. She was not letting me go and I was having trouble breathing as she was on top of me”.
She said that Ms Popalzai “was sitting on top of me and she punched my mouth”.
In finding Ms Malikzada guilty, Judge Harris said that he was satisfied that she went to Ms Popalzai’s home “to have it out with her” over the rumours about her.
Ms Malikzada and Ms Popalzai were once friends before the April 6th 2025 incident.
Ms Malkzada told the court that Ms Popalzai had done “a bad thing where she was spreading rumours that I had a connection with someone in Afghanistan and I was spending money to that person”.
Ms Malikzada agreed with her solicitor, Colum Doherty that Ms Popalzai was telling people that she was in a relationship with this man and Ms Malikzada said that was all untrue.
She said that the impact of such a rumour means “bad relations with my husband and the life of my kids would not be same”.
Mr Doherty told the court that “rumour of an extramarital affair could lead to a person getting killed”.
Ms Malikzada said that on the day she went to Popalzai’s home to confront her about the rumours in the company of Ms Jaid.
However, in response during her own evidence, Ms Popalzai denied spreading any rumours and told the court that she was the victim of baseless rumours and had cut ties sometime ago with Ms Malikzada and Ms Jaid.
She said that it wasn’t true about her spreading the rumours commenting “they were the ones spreading the rumours against me”.
Ms Popalzai came to Ireland from Afghanistan in 2021 the same year that the Taliban came to power.
In the contested case, all three Afghan witnesses spoke through interpreters and Ms Popalzai told the court that “I was scared from the war back home in Afghanistan and I wanted to have peace and here these troubles were arriving”.
Ms Popalzai said that she had strangulation marks on her neck along with the bite mark and she was removed by ambulance to University Hospital Limerick (UHL) for treatment after the assault.
Ms Popalzai said Ms Jaid and Ms Malikzada were not welcome in her home and on the day it was her four year daughter who let them into her house.
Short videos of the assault were played to the court.
Ms Popalzai said: “My husband had already warned the husbands of the two to stay away from us.”
Judge Harris has ordered a victim impact statement in the case and has adjourned sentencing to July 8th to Ennis District Court.
