A woman previously jailed for falsely accusing a man of sexual assault lied once again under oath during a personal injury claim, a judge was informed at the Circuit Civil Court on Monday, reports Breaking News.
Judge Terence O’Sullivan dismissed riding instructor Denise Cribbin’s €60,000 claim for injuries she claimed to have sustained in a rear-end crash, stating she could not be relied upon to tell the truth.
Defence barrister Shane English accused Cribbin of repeatedly lying under oath about a minor collision on the M50 in 2018 and of failing to disclose a 2016 accident, after which she had made a false sexual assault allegation against a man who had claimed compensation from her. Cribbin served six months of a 12-month jail sentence, reports Breaking News.
“Her evidence has been absolutely filleted by Mr English in the course of his cross-examination and is not reliable,” Judge O’Sullivan remarked as he threw out her case and awarded legal costs against her over the 2018 incident, reports Breaking News.
Cribbin was identified as the manager of a leisure horse riding centre at The Paddocks, Ballyedmonduff Road, Woodside, Sandyford, Dublin 18, and a resident of Stepaside, Co Wicklow.
In March 2022, the 48-year-old was handed a one-year prison term by the Court of Appeal after the Director of Public Prosecutions successfully challenged a previous two-year fully suspended sentence, arguing it was too lenient. She had admitted making a false sexual assault claim against a passenger in her car, reports Breaking News.
Mr Justice George Birmingham outlined that the offence stemmed from a single-vehicle accident in July 2016 in Enniskerry, Co Wicklow. Both Cribbin and the alleged victim had been inside the vehicle, which she owned and was driving.
She told gardaí the man, who later successfully sued her for €35,000, caused the crash by sexually assaulting her inside the car. Gardaí later determined the accusation to be false, and Cribbin pleaded guilty, reports Breaking News.
In Monday’s court hearing, Cribbin filed a €60,000 damages claim against Sharon McConnell of Old Connell Weir, Co Kildare, and her insurer Allianz, stemming from what was described as a low-impact collision on the M50.
Cribbin alleged she sustained a knee injury and chipped two teeth after hitting her face on the steering wheel during the crash, reports Breaking News.
Mr English, representing the defence alongside Patrick Brady of Newman Solicitors, told Cribbin that she had repeatedly lied to the court about the incident and had presented no medical evidence for her claimed injuries.
Judge O’Sullivan declared that Ms Cribbin lacked credibility and did not come to court with an honest reputation.
“I do not find it credible that the impact was such as to smash her face into the steering wheel and chip two of her teeth,” he said. “Mr English rightly has given out that there is not a shred of medical evidence that she damaged her teeth,” reports Breaking News.
He pointed out there was no indication of any damage to either vehicle and criticised the overall case. He also noted that the plaintiff had withheld information about her criminal record from the defence.
“I find her as someone who just cannot be trusted in terms of credibility,” Judge O’Sullivan concluded, reports Breaking News.
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