Woman threatend to kill another woman before chasing her across a Dundalk housing estate with a knife
The defendant initially made a call asking someone to bring bullets because she was going to kill the woman, whose children were in the home, but she then got a knife and followed her threatening to kill her.
A 30-year-old woman who threatened to kill another woman before producing a knife and chasing her across a housing estate, was jailed for 15 months at Dundalk Circuit Court last week.
Samantha Stokes with an address at Drive 1, Muirehevnamor pleaded guilty to producing of a knife in the course of a dispute at Clontygora Court, Dundalk on May 16th 2021.
In finalising the case last Tuesday, Judge Dara Hayes noted the victim had friends over for drinks the night before the incident and had gone to bed before Samantha Stokes arrived.
She told gardai the next morning an argument began and the defendant had ‘gone crazy’ and started screaming and shouting.
The defendant initially made a call asking someone to bring bullets because she was going to kill the woman, whose children were in the home, but she then got a knife and followed her threatening to kill her. CCTV footage showed her pursuing the victim.
Ms Stokes’ mother arrived on the scene to defuse the situation and the knife was subsequently recovered from a grass area.
The defendant, who had two previous public order convictions from 2017, had significant mental health issues, which were exacerbated by alcohol and had been assessed as being as high risk of reoffending.
Judge Hayes acknowledged she had a very difficult childhood and a report identified her as being highly psychologically vulnerable and she has been making concerted efforts to reduce her alcohol misuse and on foot of a previous adjournment, she has been brought up to a therapeutic dose of medication to deal with her mental health issues.
He imposed a two and a half year sentence, with the final 15 months suspended on her entering a good behaviour bond, placing herself under the supervision of the Probation Service for 12 months post release, and engaging with mental health services.