Vulnerable woman had part of her nose bitten off, court is told
A MAN allegedly bit off part of his girlfriend’s nostrils during a violent assault in her home, a court has heard.
Stephen McCarron appeared before Londonderry Magistrates Court yesterday following his arrest on Monday.
A member of the PSNI’s domestic violence unit said the 30-year-old woman had to have reconstructive plastic surgery on her nose for the injuries she sustained during the alleged incident.
The police witness told Dis- trict Judge Oonagh Mullan that she had spoken to the nurse who had treated the woman in hospital “and she confirmed to me that part of the complainant’s nostrils were missing”.
The officer said that McCarron (33), from Moyola Drive in the Shantallow area of Derry and who has 68 previous criminal convictions, had been on the run since last July for previous domestic violence incidents involving the same woman.
The police officer described the complainant as very vulnerable.
She said when police called at the defendant’s mother’s home on Monday, his sister told the officers that he was not inside.
However, the officers entered the house and they found the defendant hiding under a bedroom duvet.
The officer said there had been a serious domestic violence history between the defendant and the complainant dating back to June 2014.
She told the court that if released on bail she believed the defendant would reoffend against the same woman.
Applying for bail, defence solicitor Seamus Quigley said the defendant denied assaulting his girlfriend and also denied breaching a court-imposed restraining order by being in her home.
The defendant is alleged to have committed the offences between August 11 and August 30.
Mr Quigley said the complainant, because of her health issues, was not a reliable witness, and said that she could not remember the precise date of the al- leged offences.The District Judge refused bail.
She said the defendant had breached court orders on numerous occasions in the past.
“This is a very serious domestic violence incident where the complainant sustained very serious injuries,” she said.
“I am satisfied there is a risk of him reoffending and of interfering with witnesses and I have no confidence that if released on bail he would abide by bail conditions, nor do I have confidence that he would turn up for his trial.”
McCarron was remanded in custody until October 5.