A psychological assessment is to be conducted on a teenage girl charged in connection with the fatal assault of Scarlett Faulkner, a court heard on Thursday.
The 16-yr-old accused faces a charge of assault causing serious harm to Faulkner (29) at the R494 in Birdhill, Co Tipperary, on March 21st, reports Breaking News.
The girl appeared before Nenagh District Court on Thursday morning via video link from a youth detention centre.
She spoke only to confirm that she could see and hear the proceedings, reports Breaking News.
Her solicitor, Turlough Herbert of Herbert & Co Solicitors, Limerick, told the court that arrangements were being made for a psychological evaluation while she remains in custody on remand.
“In respect of the psychological evaluation, we have that matter in hand,” said Mr Herbert, reports Breaking News.
A co-accused in the case, a 40-year-old woman, also appeared via video link from Limerick Prison.
The woman, represented by solicitor Pauric Nesbit of Darach McCarthy Solicitors & Co, Limerick, spoke only to confirm she could follow proceedings, reports Breaking News.
Neither of the accused can be identified due to reporting restrictions imposed by a judge last March.
Judge Fiona Brennan at Nenagh District Court granted a four-week adjournment following an application by prosecuting gardaí, which was agreed to by solicitors for both accused, reports Breaking News.
The judge confirmed that the reporting restrictions introduced last March remain in place.
Both accused were remanded in continuing custody to appear again before Nenagh District Court on May 15th for directions from the Director of Public Prosecutions, reports Breaking News.
Gardaí previously alleged in court that the teenage girl struck Faulkner at least 11 times to the head with an iron bar.
They also alleged that the girl laughed when shown photographs of Ms Faulkner’s injuries by gardaí, reports Breaking News.
Gardaí told Limerick District Court last March that they responded to reports of a violent assault near Birdhill on the afternoon in question, discovering Ms Faulkner with severe head injuries on the R494.
They said she was airlifted to University Hospital Limerick and later transferred to Cork University Hospital, where she remained in critical condition with life-threatening injuries, reports Breaking News.
Ms Faulkner died from her injuries on April 13th after life support was withdrawn the previous day at Cork University Hospital. She was buried last Friday.
Gardaí further alleged that the accused woman had been searching for Ms Faulkner for 24 hours prior to the attack, and that she broke into and damaged a caravan while looking for Ms Faulkner and a man, reports Breaking News.
The court heard that this alleged burglary was recorded on a mobile phone by the accused teenager.
Gardaí claimed the accused woman drove herself, the teenager, and others in a car that pursued and rammed a van carrying Ms Faulkner and a man on the R494, reports Breaking News.
They alleged Ms Faulkner exited the van after the collision, and that the teenage girl followed her and struck her repeatedly on the head with an iron bar.
“Each injury is sustained to the head. Eleven blows to the head can be observed on CCTV,” a garda alleged in court, reports Breaking News.
The attack was described by the garda as “callous”, who also alleged that another young female recorded the incident on a mobile phone.
The garda gave uncontested evidence that the girl told officers during interviews after her arrest: “I followed her and I hit her a few times with the pole, and that’s what happened,” reports Breaking News.
Gardaí said neither accused responded to the charges.
The court heard that both individuals are presumed innocent unless they state otherwise or are found guilty beyond a reasonable doubt at trial, reports Breaking News.
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