Young man involved in an attack in a which a young woman lost vision permanently in one eye will be sentenced later

By Eimear Dodd and Jessica Magee

A young man involved in an attack in which a young woman lost vision permanently in one eye will be sentenced next month. 

Alanna Quinn Idris was hit in the face with the saddle of an electric scooter by a male during an attack by four youths on her and a friend on the Ballyfermot Road on December 30, 2021.

Ms Quinn Idris, then aged 17, was knocked unconscious and left with a shattered tooth, broken cheekbone, and a ruptured eyeball.

Despite numerous reconstructive surgeries, she has lost vision permanently in her right eye as a result of the attack.

Josh Cummins (19) of Raheen Drive, Ballyfermot, pleaded guilty to intentionally or recklessly causing serious harm to Ms Quinn Idris.

He further pleaded guilty to a count of violent disorder and one of production of an article, a hurl, in the course of a dispute.

He also pleaded guilty to assault causing harm to Louis O’Sullivan as part of the same incident.

Cummins has no previous convictions.

In March of this year, his co-accused, Darragh Lyons (19), was sentenced to four and a half years in prison for assault causing serious harm to Ms Quinn Idris.

Lyons, of Weir View, Glenaulin, Chapelizod, pleaded guilty to assault causing harm to Louis O’Sullivan and to violent disorder as part of the same incident.

Another accused, described in court as ‘Suspect A’ is before the courts.

The fourth male, ‘Suspect B’, has not been identified.

Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard that the case is based on the principle of joint enterprise, where if two or more people enter into a plan to commit a crime, each person is responsible for the actions of all the others in pursuit of that common design.

Garda Kieran Murphy told Edward Doocey BL, prosecuting, that the four males carried out an organised and violent attack on Ms Quinn Idris and Mr O’Sullivan, who were unarmed.

Gda Murphy told the court that the attack took place in a residential area next to Ballyfermot Civic Centre at 9.40pm on the night in question.

Ms Quinn Idris and Mr O’Sullivan, along with another friend, got a bus home from Liffey Valley Shopping Centre at 9.25pm.

‘Suspect A’ was on the bus, but there was no interaction between the parties at this stage.

The attack took place a short time after a brief verbal dispute between ‘Suspect A’ and Mr O’Sullivan after all parties had got off the bus.

‘Suspect A’ phoned Cummins, who arrived at the scene on an electric scooter with ‘Suspect B’.

Ms Quinn Idris, Mr O’Sullivan and their friend crossed the road.

The two victims waited outside while their friend went into their house.

The court heard Cummins and ‘Suspect B’ walked along the opposite side of the road to where the victims were standing, before returning to the bus stop where they were joined by ‘Suspect A’ and Lyons.

Cummins retrieved a hurl he had left by a tree near the bus stop.

Gda Murphy said the four males then crossed the road towards Ms Quinn Idris and Mr O’Sullivan.

They were screaming: “Do you want a knock?”

Lyons asked Mr O’Sullivan if he wanted a “straightener”.

Ms Quinn Idris intervened and was punched by Lyons in the face.

‘Suspect B’ removed the saddle from the electric scooter.

Lyons and Mr O’Sullivan were fighting, and Cummins and ‘Suspect B’ also began attacking Mr O’Sullivan.

Ms Quinn Idris attempted to pull Lyons and Cummins off her friend.

She also tried to stop ‘Suspect B’ from striking her friend with the saddle.

‘Suspect B’ then swung the saddle at Ms Quinn Idris and struck her to the side of the face.

She was knocked unconscious.

The court heard some of the group jumped over Ms Quinn Idris while she was laying on the ground to continue the attack..

Gda Murphy said all four males were involved in the attack on Mr O’Sullivan, during which he was stabbed in the left arm.

The court heard a knife was found at the scene, but it is not attributed to Cummins.

The attack lasted one minute and stopped when passing motorists intervened.

The four males fled the scene.

Mr O’Sullivan was punched to the head and struck multiple times by the hurl and the saddle.

He was taken to hospital by ambulance and was treated for a cut to the top of his head and a 2cm stab wound to his arm, both of which required stitches.

He also had bruising and tenderness.

Ms Quinn Idris was also taken to hospital by ambulance with a broken eye socket and then transferred to the Eye and Ear Hospital where she underwent emergency surgery.

She has since had numerous reconstructive surgeries to her right eye socket and a bone graft taken from her hip. She has lost vision permanently in one eye, the court heard.

CCTV footage of the attack was played to the court.

Cummins was identified from CCTV.

He was arrested on February 6, 2022 and interviewed three times with a solicitor and his father present.

Nothing of evidential value was obtained from the interviews.

Gda Murphy agreed with Anne Rowlands SC, defending, that her client arrived at the scene after receiving a call from Suspect ‘A’, who is related to him.

It was accepted that there was no history between Cummins and the victims.

It was also agreed that Cummins is the youngest of the accused and that there is no suggestion that Cummins struck Ms Quinn Idris.

The garda accepted that Cummins gave his phone and pin number to gardai, which was of assistance.

Ms Rowlands told the court this was a “vicious assault” and said Ms Quinn Idris was a “courageous young woman who attempted to defend her friend”.

She said her client left school at 13 and was working at the time of the attack. A probation report and letters from Pieta House and Cummin’s aunt were handed to the court.

Judge Codd adjourned the case to December 11, and remanded Cummins on continuing bail.

A plea of mitigation on behalf of Cummins will be made on the next date.

A victim impact statement was read to the court on behalf of Mr O’Sullivan.

He said his mother has since moved from the area.

The statement also outlined the impact of the attack and his concerns for his friend.

Reading her victim impact statement, Ms Quinn Idris said she was still discovering all the ways “this awful attack” has hurt her and set her life in a different course.

“I feel embarrassed, mortified and heartbroken. I cannot look in the mirror without entirely disassociating and at times I’m overcome with flashbacks,” she said, adding that she did not look or feel like the same person.

“People used to tell me I should model – I didn’t like it, it made me feel uncomfortable.

“I never felt I was beautiful, but I wish I’d listened to them.

“I’ve never been the most confident girl, but I had a little, until my attackers took that away,” she said.

Ms Quinn Idris thanked the local community for their support and the local gardaí for their hard work, expressing the hope that this work will result in her attackers facing appropriate consequences for their actions.

Judge Codd thanked Ms Quinn Idris and commended her for her courage.