A Dublin woman who was punched in the eye by her former partner leaving her vision permanently damaged has told a court how her devastating injuries have affected every aspect of her life.
Stephanie Hoey (33) suffered a blow-out fracture to her eye socket when she was attacked by her ex-boyfriend Conor Murphy in her home in Clondalkin two years ago.
Ms Hoey required surgery to take bone from her hip to correct damage to her eye socket and cheekbone and has experienced PTSD and lasting nerve and muscle damage.
In a victim impact statement, which she read aloud before Dublin Circuit Criminal Court on Thursday, Ms Hoey said no words could describe how her life had been “torn apart” by Murphy.
Doctors have said her eyesight will never be the same and will continue to deteriorate, Ms Hoey said, adding that daily issues with her left eye are a painful reminder of her life-changing injuries.
Ms Hoey said she experiences constant flashbacks, nightmares, and panic attacks and that for a long time, she was afraid to leave her home, but also afraid to stay in her home.
She said her daughter had missed out on two years of her childhood and experienced the same trauma as she had because the child was worried about her mother and how she was coping.
Ms Hoey said she has been at times, unable to function and thanked her mother for taking over care for herself and her daughter. “She has been my lifeline,” Ms Hoey said.
Ms Hoey said she has been battling with her mental health, in particular PTSD, for the last two years and that her only sense of safety came when she was notified of Murphy's arrest. “I could finally walk out my front door,” she said.
Murphy (23) of Edenmore Avenue, Coolock, Dublin 5, pleaded guilty previously to assault causing serious home in Clondalkin on August 20, 2021. He also admitted to burglary and producing a knife on the same occasion.
Garda Charles McPartland told Olan Callinan, BL, prosecuting, that Ms Hoey and Murphy were partners from 2018 to 2020 and briefly on and off thereafter.
The court heard that Murphy arrived at Ms Hoey's house at 6am on the day in question and that it was clear he was not sober.
Ms Hoey invited him in and went back to bed until lunchtime to find Murphy still in the house, clearly agitated and punching his hand.
Ms Hoey later told gardaí that Murphy became more aggressive, and she tried to de-escalate the situation by asking him to go to the shop for an errand.
Murphy came back to her house at around 5pm and put his foot in the door, forcing his way in.
Ms Hoey told gardaí that Murphy attacked her on entry, screaming at her and foaming at the mouth.
He punched her full force into her left eye with a closed fist, and Ms Hoey fell backwards and briefly lost consciousness.
When Ms Hoey came to, Murphy was over her, grabbing her hair and hitting the back of her head off the ground.
Ms Hoey said she managed to kick him off, run upstairs and phone a neighbour, who then called to the door.
Murphy grabbed a cheese knife and stood in between Ms Hoey and her neighbour, but Ms Hoey left the house with her neighbour, and the gardai were called.
Gda McPartland said the neighbour described Murphy as very agitated and “acting in a crazed manner”.
Ms Hoey was taken to the hospital where she underwent a CT scan, but surgery had to be postponed due to the severe swelling in her left eye.
Ultimately, she had surgery in the eye and ear hospital but still suffers from multiple sequelae, including nerve damage, muscle twitching and double vision.
Murphy has five previous convictions from the District Court, including failure to appear, possessing drugs for sale or supply and possessing stolen property.
He also has a conviction from Majorca for resisting an authority.
Gda McPartland agreed with Oisín Clarke, BL, defending, that Murphy was abusing drugs at the time of the offence.
A witness described the accused as “spitting from the mouth” and “out of it on drugs”, the court heard.
The court heard that the Director Public Prosecutions puts the case at the higher end of the scale of seriousness for offences of this nature.
Murphy has been in custody since May.
Mr Clarke said he needed time to obtain a prison governor's report and education report on behalf of his client, along with urine analysis.
Judge Orla Crowe adjourned the case to December 20th for mitigation and finalisation.
