A TEENAGE GIRL who stabbed another girl with a stiletto heel during a drunken row after a school graduation ceremony has been told that she faces jail if she doesn’t co-operate with the Probation Service.

At Ennis Circuit Court today, Judge Gerald Keys gave the jail warning to Shannon Jordan (19) of Lios Anana, Sixmilebridge, Co Clare.

In the case, Jordan’s victim, Natasha Griffin McMahon – who was aged 17 at the time of the assault in August 2015 – suffered a fractured eye socket and laceration when Jordan used the pointed heel of her shoe to strike her in the face.

Jordan has pleaded guilty to the serious assault of Ms Griffin McMahon and in her victim impact statement, Griffin McMahon said that she came close to being blinded by the stiletto attack.

She said that the deepest cut from the stiletto “was millimetres below my eye”.

She said: “If it had been even slightly higher I would have lost my eye completely or at best my sight. It terrifies me to think of how much my life would have been affected if that had happened.”

‘It still un-nerves me’

Griffin McMahon said that she had to undergo extensive medical treatment to deal with her facial injury after the attack.

The victim underwent surgery and it was only after four to five months that she began to regain the feeling and movement in the side of her face that was subjected to the stiletto attack.

Griffin McMahon said that she feels lucky that the outcome to the altercation wasn’t worse.

She said: “It still un-nerves me to think how close I came to being blinded. And to how much worse this could have been. It is shocking how quickly a weapon was introduced to this altercation and how dangerous it proved to be.”

In her statement read out to court, Griffin McMahon said: “Every time I met with the doctor, they advised me of how fortunate I had been. Fortunate not to have lost my eye and fortunate to have been under such good care at the hospital that they were able to recover the feeling in my face.”

The incident occurred in Shannon town centre as a group of teenagers returned from a school graduation ceremony in Limerick in the early hours of 25 August, 2015.

It is accepted that Jordan did not remove her shoes for the purpose of attacking Griffin McMahon.

Compensation

Jordan has been paying compensation to Griffin McMahon at a rate of €50 a week since February of this year and her solicitor had €1,700 in court yesterday.

In all, Jordan is to pay €5,000 in compensation to Griffin McMahon.

Detective Sergeant Kevin O’Hagan previously told the court that there was a high level of intoxication among the group as they returned by bus from Limerick.

The court heard that when the bus arrived at Shannon at around 3am, a verbal argument erupted between Griffin McMahon and Jordan’s then boyfriend.

Detective Sergeant O’Hagan said Griffin McMahon pushed Jordan, who was carrying her shoes in her hand after the night out.

Jordan then used the shoe to strike her victim in the face.

In court today, counsel for Jordan, Patrick Whyms BL said that there was a Probation Report in court and it’s “not entirely glowing” for his client.

He said that the problem with the Probation Report is that it appears that Jordan’s engagement with the service as not being totally satisfactory

Addressing Jordan in court, Judge Gerald Keys told Jordan to engage with the Probation Service “otherwise you are facing a custodial sentence”.

Detective Sergeant O’Hagan said on the night, Jordan later attended Shannon Garda Station, made admissions and indicated her actions were in self-defence.

Jordan has no previous convictions and works in the bar trade.

Detective Sergeant O’Hagan said that there is a “very minimal” risk of the teen re-offending.

Whyms said that it was never his client’s intention to cause injury to the girl’s eye. He said it was an “excessive reaction” to being pushed.

Judge Keys adjourned sentencing to 18 December and remanded Jordan on continuing bail to that date.