A Young woman who caught her partner in her best friend’s home wearing only boxer shorts has been ordered to make a €500 donation to charity for attacking them.
Kathy McCarron, 27, appeared at Letterkenny District Court accused of two counts of assault in what was referred to as a “crime of passion.”
The 27-year-old nursing student called to the home of Therese McGinley’s home in Raphoe, Co Donegal, after receiving the same Snapchat messages from both her partner and also her best friend in the early hours of July 25, 2021.
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She went to the home of Ms McGinley where she spotted her partner’s car around the corner at around 12.45am.
McCarron confronted McGinley, her best friend of seven years and godmother of her youngest son. McGinley was pinned against a wall, assaulted and needed stitches above her eye.
McCarron found her partner Michael Tinney in the bathroom in his underwear. She slapped him in the face and in the chest before leaving the house.
Defence solicitor Rory O’Brien told the court in his 15-year career, he had never come across a case in which he had more sympathy for the accused.
He said his client had been forced to put her nursing career on hold as a result of the assault allegations against her.
Mr O’Brien added he did not condone violence but he said the facts were McGinley was McCarron’s best friend her son’s godmother. He added McGinley even cooked for McCarron’s son earlier that day because it was his birthday.
Mr O’Brien told the court: “She introduced this man into her life and into the lives of her two children.
“She saw a future with this man and talked about him with her best friend.”
Considering judgment, Judge Alan Mitchell asked if McCarron and Tinney were still in a relationship and was told they were not.
He said that on the night of the incident the best thing the defendant could have done was to have turned on her heels and had nothing more to do with the pair.
Addressing McCarron, who was accompanied by her mother to court, Judge Mitchell said he was not going to let her off entirely, however.
He added: “I might be able to see what you did but I’m not condoning it.”
The judge added a message had to be sent out that people cannot take the law into their own hands.
Judge Mitchell said if McCarron, of St Eunan’s Terrace, Raphoe, made a donation of €500 to St Vincent de Paul then he would strike out the charges and apply the Probation Act.
He stressed it should be noted that no order for compensation was to be given to McGinley or Tinney.
“McCarron presented a receipt for the donation and the cases were struck out.”
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