Jailed for assaulting her mother and harassing her sister

A woman who assaulted her mother and harassed her sister has been jailed for two months and ordered to have no contact with her sister for a decade.

Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard that on May 12 last year, Erika Gould (38) punched her mother in the eye after throwing scrambled egg in her face while her mother was driving.

Within 24 hours, Gould sent a series of harassing texts to her sister and then went to the sister’s apartment in the early hours, where she was threatening and abusive.

Gould, with an address at Kilmacud Road Lower, Kilmacud, Co. Dublin pleaded guilty to common assault of her mother at her home and to harassment of her sister last May.

Gould has 208 previous convictions, including 39 for common assault, three for assault causing harm and 19 for violent behaviour in a garda station.

Her previous convictions also include 46 for public order offences and several for assaulting peace officers and criminal damage.

Gould is currently serving a six-month sentence for violence in a garda station in March 2023.

Garda Neill Young told Pieter Le Vert BL, prosecuting, that Gould has a drink problem and has been diagnosed with borderline personality disorder.

The court heard that Gould was living with her mother, who noticed that she had been drinking daily, becoming more erratic and demanding money.

On the day in question, Gould’s mother confronted her after finding half a bottle of vodka and things became heated.

When her mother was driving her somewhere later that day, Gould threw some scrambled egg into her mother’s face and then punched her to the left eye.

Her mother tried to calm the situation down and let her daughter out of the car.

Over the following 24 hours, Gould sent her sister a series of abusive texts, calling her names and threatening to break her jaw.

The court heard that Gould arrived at her sister’s apartment after 1am in the morning and began to bang on the door and roar abusively, all of which was caught on her sister’s Ring doorbell camera.

Both the victim and her husband were very frightened and intimidated and noticed Gould lifting up a rock and throwing it at a small window.

The guards were called and Gould denied sending the texts.

Her sister prepared a victim impact statement which was handed into court but not read aloud.

The court heard that Gould spent five to six months in custody before she was bailed to attend a treatment centre, which she left after a week.

Gda Young agreed with Cathal McGreal BL, defending, that Gould has never offended while sober and has a very, very serious drink problem.

The garda further agreed that Gould has been diagnosed as having borderline personality disorder.

Mr McGreal said Gould suffered extreme childhood trauma and was mistreated by her brother, a schizophrenic.

“She is from a very good background,” said counsel, adding that Gould has broken her own bones while on drinking binges.

The court heard Gould is doing well in custody and recently presented a piece of her writing to a government minister who was visiting the prison.

Gould has been assessed as at moderate risk of reoffending and wrote a letter of apology to the court.

Passing sentence yesterday, Judge Martin Nolan said Gould has a “huge history of offending” and when intoxicated, becomes a problem for her mother, her family and the guards.

Judge Nolan said while Gould has a diagnosis and the courts are sympathetic, she is “getting close to the only thing the courts can to do is protect society by putting her in prison”.

Gould was sentenced to two months for common assault and ordered not to contact her sister in any way for ten years.