A 33-YEAR-OLD County Clare woman “was completely out of control and had eyes bulging out of her head like a rabbit with myxomatosis” when trying to break into a couple’s bedroom late at night at a house in East Clare last July.
In the case, Mary Cashin and her partner, Gerry Reynolds were woken at 1am on July 1 when Laura Molloy was trying to break in to their bedroom through a partially opened window at their home at Cuinne an Bhroic, Tulla, in East Clare.
In evidence, Garda Niall Naughton said that Mary Cashin was woken up at 1am from her sleep by banging and crashing on her window.
Garda Naughton said both the couple and Ms Molloy, a mother of seven, live in new Clare County Council estate Cuinne An Bhroic in Tulla.
He said that Ms Cashin “woke up to see Laura Molloy trying to force her way into her bedroom through her window”.
Garda Naughton said that Ms Cashin described Ms Molloy “as being out of control and eyes popping out of her head and screaming ‘I’ll kill you’ over and over”.
The Garda said that Mr Reynolds told Gardaí that Ms Molloy was “completely out of control and had eyes bulging out of her head like a rabbit with myxomatosis”.
Garda Naughton said that during the course of the incident, as Ms Cashin was trying to close the window, Ms Molloy grabbed her arm.
The Garda said that eye-witnesses described Ms Molloy as being on a rampage in the estate.
In the case, Ms Molloy pleaded guilty to trespass in a manner to cause fear in another person and Judge Alec Gabbett imposed a suspended four-month prison term for the offence.
Garda Naughton said that Ms Molloy was high intoxicated and very paranoid on the night claiming that “lasers were putting excrement into her skin”.
Garda Naughton said the incident left Ms Cashin in a severe state of shock.
Solicitor Daragh Hassett said that his client, Ms Molloy, wanted to apologise for her actions, saying that she was out of control.
Mr Hassett said that Ms Molloy was fortunate to get a house at the council estate, adding that this was the first house that she ever lived in after living in a compound in Ennis.
The solicitor said that Ms Molloy lost her husband to suicide and had his headstone erected a number of weeks ago and that might bring a bit of closure.
He said that Ms Molloy couldn’t sleep at night and was raising seven children on her own, adding that she hasn’t offended since.
Judge Gabbett said that if he was to jail Ms Molloy, he would have to deal with seven interim care order applications for the children later in court. The judge said that he wanted to put in place a deterrent, suspending the four-month prison term for two years.
He also imposed a €200 fine on Ms Molloy, who has 15 previous convictions including five public order offences, but had no conviction since 2019.
