A man has been remanded in custody charged over an assault in Cork City centre which left a businesswoman needing hospital treatment for a dislocated and fractured ankle.
Conor Greaney (25) told gardaí the assault on Dublin-based Selina Regazzoli was a case of mistaken identity. The incident happened at around 9.40am on Thursday outside Cork’s GPO.
Mr Greaney’s admission came during a bail application at a special sitting of Cork District Court on Saturday.
Garda Orla Moriarty, of Anglesea Street station, gave evidence of arresting and charging Mr Greaney with assault causing harm to Ms Regazzoli (35) after he presented himself at the Bridewell Garda station. He made no reply after caution.
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Insp David Noonan said gardaí were objecting to bail and Garda Moriarty said this was based on the seriousness of the charge and strength of the evidence.
She said it was alleged that Mr Greaney approached Ms Regazzoli outside the GPO while she was walking to work and he struck her in the face in an unprovoked attack. She said Mr Greaney hit and pushed Ms Regazzoli, who fell and dislocated and fractured her right ankle. She was taken by ambulance to Cork University Hospital and was told she would need to undergo surgery.
Garda Moriarty said the entire incident was captured on CCTV which clearly identified Mr Greaney as the assailant, and that he had admitted to carrying out the assault when questioned. Mr Greaney, of Farranferris Avenue, Farranree, Cork, stated at interview that Ms Regazzoli was not the intended target of his attack, but he threatened to get the intended target the next time, said Garda Moriarty.
She said gardaí were concerned that he would commit further crimes if granted bail and that he might interfere with witnesses.
Under cross examination by barrister Elaine Audley, deputising for Mr Greaney’s solicitor, Frank Buttimer, Garda Moriarty accepted that Ms Regazzoli was from Dublin and was not living in Cork. However, she said Ms Regazzoli has a substantial social media presence with more than 28,000 followers on Instagram and gardaí were concerned Mr Greaney might seek to engage with her online.
Mr Greaney took the stand to support his application for bail, saying he had been addicted to cocaine and benzodiazepines but had been clean of the drugs for three years until recently. He was on his way to becoming a good bricklayer when his grandfather, “the most important person in my life”, fell ill in November and died before Christmas, which had upset him hugely
He said he suffered a relapse into addiction following the death but was hoping to get a place in a residential drug treatment centre to address his addiction. He said the assault on Ms Regazzoli, who he did not know, was a case of mistaken identity and his intended target was someone who was harassing him.
“I’m not going to Dublin looking for an innocent woman, I feel terrible, I’m disgusted with myself. I am not a monster. I didn’t intend to go as hard as I did. I didn’t intend to break anyone’s bones,” he said.
Mr Greaney told Judge Mary Dorgan his intention was to “more or less frighten the woman, that was all”.
Judge Dorgan said she felt gardaí had made a strong case opposing bail for Mr Greaney, who she remanded in custody to appear again at Cork District Court on March 14th by video link. She said he could apply for bail again if he resolved issues over an address to stay at.
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