Dundalk court: Two women admitted seriously assaulting another female

Two women who admitted seriously assaulting another woman in a local shopping centre, were each given a four month suspended sentence at Dundalk District Court after paying the victim a total of €3,000 in compensation.

Fartun Ali  (27) and Fails Mohammed Ali  (30) with an address at Laurel Lodge, Culhane Street, Dundalk were both charged with assault causing harm arising out of the incident at the Marshes Shopping Centre on October 29th 2022.

The victim, who lives locally and is originally from Somalia, previously told the court she was with her children when they were followed by the two sisters.

She said one started hitting her on the head and pulling her hair and the other joined in the assault, during which the injured party was bitten.

Neither of the defendants had any previous convictions, and their solicitor said they "very much regretted" the assault.

Judge Eirinn McKiernan in putting the case back for payment of compensation said it was a vicious assault on an innocent person going into the shopping centre with her kids and added it had happened in August 2022 and "they're sitting here with one arm as long as the other".

The case was put back to Wednesday, May 15th, with Judge McKiernan warning if €1,500 each wasn't paid to the injured party "If they don't - they're going into custody for four months each".

After being told the money was in court, the judge imposed a four month sentence on each of the women, which she suspended on both of them entering a €200 bond to be of good behaviour for 12 months.