A 43-year-old mother of two who went to the home of a woman and stabbed her 14 times with a screwdriver because she believed that the victim was having "liaisons" with her boyfriend has been jailed for two years.
Cork Circuit Criminal Court heard that Jennifer Cronin, who is of no fixed abode, but formerly of Brooklodge Grove, Glanmire in Co Cork, caused enormous physical damage to the victim.
Three of the stab wounds were to her face whilst another three were to her scalp. She was also stabbed in the stomach and in other parts of her body.
Ms Cronin pleaded guilty to a charge of assault causing harm to a woman and producing a screwdriver during the attack which occurred in October 2021 at Lagan Grove in Mayfield in Cork city.
Dt Sgt Kieran O’Sullivan said that Ms Cronin went to the home of the woman at 10am on October 11th, 2021.
“She exited the vehicle. The injured party’s family were there. Ms Cronin produced a screwdriver and attempted to assault the injured party. She stabbed her fourteen times with the screwdriver."
An emergency services doctor arrived at the scene and found she had very serious injuries and was taken to Cork University Hospital.
Prior to the assault, Jennifer Cronin stopped and spoke to a man who was known to both parties.
During this conversation, she said she had a screwdriver. Jennifer Cronin said to this male, "I’m going to stick that in her". Jennifer Cronin was arrested two days later.”
Ms Cronin has 51 previous convictions, including two Section Two assault convictions. The injured woman declined to make a victim impact statement.
Defence barrister Jeff Hitchmough said that his client accepts full responsibility for her actions on the day.
“What brought it all about was that she went to confront her about her liaisons with her (Ms Cronin’s) partner. She did not set out to assault her but she saw red. It is out of character. She said she acted on impulse. Her view was that (the injured party) had liaisons with her partner. It is to a certain extent a crime of passion. She is very sorry for what she has done.”
Judge Colin Daly said that Ms Cronin had carried out the attack based on “jealously of a romantic nature".
He said that she intentionally drove to the home of the victim armed with a weapon with the woman sustaining 14 stab wounds.
Judge Daly said that that attack was on the “upper end of the scale". He took the previous convictions of the woman into account when sentencing her.
He acknowledged that Ms Cronin hailed from a dysfunctional family and was “homeless and couch-surfing".
He said that her plea in the case was of little benefit as it came two days into the trial.
He also noted that the defendant has a personality disorder and difficulties with impulse control and aggression.
Judge Daly jailed Ms Cronin for three years, suspending the final year of the sentence.
