*Photograph: John Mangan
A SHANNON man has pleaded guilty to “a very serious assault” on his then girlfriend on St Patrick’s Day that hospitalised her and left her with a broken eye socket, broken ribs and a collapsed lung.
At Ennis Circuit Court on Tuesday, Mark Hayes (35) of Aidan Park, Shannon pleaded guilty to the assault causing harm of his then girl-friend at Rineanna View in Shannon on March 17th contrary to Section 3 of the Non Fatal Offences Against the Person Act.
Mr Hayes also pleaded guilty to threatening to kill his then girlfriend at the same address on the same date contrary to Section 5 of the Non Fatal Offences against the Person Act.
Mr Hayes replied “yes – guilty” when arraigned on the charges.
Mr Hayes has been on remand in custody at Limerick prison since April 12th after failing to secure bail.
The guilty pleas have been entered “on a full facts basis”.
Counsel for the State, Sarah Jane Comerford BL (Instructed by State Solicitor for Clare Aisling Casey) said that the victim in the case required a plate to be inserted for a facial injury.
Mr Hayes pleaded guilty to the charges on Tuesday after a new patient report from University Hospital Limerick (UHL) on the woman’s injuries was handed into court.
At an earlier bail application in the case in the district court, Det Sgt Kevin O’Hagan of Shannon Garda Station said that the victim in the case sustained a broken eye socket, stitches to her face, staples to her head, a collapsed lung that required to be drained, bruises to her body and broken ribs arising from Mr Hayes’s assault.
Det Sgt O’Hagan said that it is the State’s case that Mr Hayes assaulted his then girlfriend at a house in Rineanna View, Shannon on St Patrick’s Day and assaulted another man unknown to him on April 11th at Aidan’s Park, Shannon.
Det Sgt O’Hagan stated that arising from the assault, the woman required surgery on her broken eye socket.
Det Sgt O’Hagan said that it was “a very serious assault”.
Judge Francis Comerford further remanded Mr Hayes in custody for sentencing to Friday, November 15th. Judge Comerford also directed a victim impact statement for the sentencing hearing.
