Chinese students who were abruptly awakened in their Cork home during the early morning two years ago by two intruders armed with a crowbar have shared in court the deep trauma they experienced from the violent incident, reports Breaking News.
Two out of the three victims travelled from China to Ireland to attend the sentencing hearing on Friday, reports Breaking News.
They paid for their own flights, having permanently relocated from Ireland after enduring the savage attack two years prior.
The remaining victim, employed as an engineer, continues living and working in Ireland, yet her parents regularly reach out to her due to persistent fears for her security, reports Breaking News.
Cork Circuit Criminal Court was informed that on April 17th, 2024, at 5.45am, Aidan Cullinane and Gerard Quinlan, both without fixed addresses, unlawfully entered a house on Millerd Street in Cork city, reports Breaking News.
The pair were complete strangers to the three Chinese nationals who lived there, all of whom had been asleep in their respective beds.
Det Garda Brian Barron testified that Cullinane (32) and Quinlan (41) stormed into two separate upstairs bedrooms at once, threatening the three young residents and demanding cash along with mobile phones, reports Breaking News.
In fear, the victims surrendered €200 in cash and one laptop to the intruders.
Although the residents followed the demands, the garda explained that the three were then subjected to “a vicious and sustained assault at the hands of Aidan Cullinane and Gerard Quinlan,” reports Breaking News.
The violent episode went on for seven minutes, with the men repeatedly striking the young people using a crowbar, reports Breaking News.
One 22-year-old male victim sustained a 7cm cut on his forehead in addition to other wounds.
A 26-year-old female victim suffered a 4cm cut to her scalp together with three broken ribs as a result of the attack, reports Breaking News.
The third resident, a 22-year-old woman, required an operation and the insertion of surgical wire to stabilise damage to her hand.
At the time of the home invasion, two of the three victims had been attending an English language course at a school in Cork city, reports Breaking News.
They lost several thousand euros in prepaid tuition fees after suddenly dropping out of their studies, having only completed two months of the planned eight-month programme.
All three victim impact statements were formally read into the record during today’s proceedings, reports Breaking News.
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One victim explained how the incident had left her “permanently scarred,” including the broken ribs she sustained, reports Breaking News.
“Even though they are healed now, the resulting dislocation cannot be remedied. My back also suffered injuries in the incident, and still today, I dare not apply pressure on where the wounds were, as it might cause pain. I am also mentally shaken and impacted.
I am now easily startled by any unfamiliar noise. I must make sure the doors of my residence are properly locked, checking again and again, even after rounds of previous inspection, just for reassurance,” reports Breaking News.
She went on to describe both the immediate and longer-term financial burdens caused by the assault.
“ I hastily left the residence involved in the incident and flew back to China to reassure my family of my safety. The flight ticket had to be booked abruptly and rescheduled several times, costing me extra fees. I also left many of my personal belongings behind, some of which were never recovered, reports Breaking News.
My professional career in civil engineering and promotion were also delayed as I must go through long recovery and hiatus from job.”
Another victim outlined the ongoing struggles stemming from the traumatic event, reports Breaking News.
“My hand and forehead still have very visible scars. Till today, I would occasionally have nightmares of this incident and wake up very scared. I also suffered significant financial losses. I never got any refund from my tuition of the language school as I quit my study after feeling not safe in Ireland. I hastily left Ireland, so I left a lot of personal belongings which were not recovered. I also had to come up with extra money for the flight ticket back to China. Moreover, this incident has severely disrupted my life plan,” reports Breaking News.
“I was out of jobs and had no income for at least six months, and my plan for further study and a career in Ireland had to be abandoned. My families were also deeply shocked by this incident, and now they would oppose any of my future plans to study or work outside of China because of what happened here in Cork, Ireland,” reports Breaking News.
The third victim informed Judge Helen Boyle about the serious harm inflicted on her right wrist and hand during the assault.
“For roughly two or three months after the injury, I could not move my right wrist as usual, and I could not even take a proper shower. Even now, my right hand still has one finger that cannot move properly. I was also mentally shaken and scarred. Even now, I would get extremely nervous when I hear unfamiliar noises outside of my residence or if someone shuts a door with a loud bang,” reports Breaking News.
“My families are now extremely concerned about my safety outside of China, and they would staunchly oppose any of my plans to study or tour abroad, citing this incident as the reason.”
Following a trial, a jury found Cullinane and Quinlan guilty on charges of aggravated burglary as well as three counts of assault, reports Breaking News.
The final sentencing date has been set for July 1st next, and both men will remain in custody until then to allow time for the completion of required assessment reports.
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