Woman in death crash escapes jail over bar assault
A YOUNG woman who may never walk again after she was injured in a crash that killed two people has escaped jail for punching a woman and pulling out tufts of her hair.
Rachel Elliott, who was left in a coma after a fatal early morning crash in Donegal last month, was convicted in her absence yesterday as she remains in hospital where she recently underwent surgery.
The court heard that she may never walk again. The young mum suffered lifechanging injures to her brain, back and pelvis when she was thrown from a car which struck a wall and then a lamp post on Sunday, August 19.
The crash, which happened at Eastend in Bundoran at around 3.30am, claimed the lives of two people and left three others injured. Six adults were in the vehicle.
Elliott, who has recovered from the coma and is still being treated for her injuries in Beaumont Hospital, Dublin, was yesterday jailed for five months, suspended for two years, after her defence solicitor pleaded guilty on her behalf to assault causing actual bodily harm to a woman on April 9.
She was also ordered to pay £250 (€280) to the victim.
Enniskillen Magistrates Court was told Elliott approached the victim, Hannah Abercrombie in a pub in Enniskillen, punched her and pulled tufts of hair from her
Restrained by bouncers
head, before she was restrained by bouncers.
When first questioned by police, Elliott said she did not recall much about the incident and said she was unable to identify herself on CCTV pulling the victim’s hair.
She also told officers that the victim had hit her first
Her solicitor said his client had posted a message on Facebook on August 1, detailing her remorse for the incident.
The defence solicitor submitted that his client had entered an early plea, had accepted she was wrong and apologised for her actions which caused injury.
District Judge Michael Renaghan noted that the injured party had suffered mentally, physically and financially as a result of the incident.
He said it merited a custodial sentence.
Shiva Devine and Conall McAleer both died in last month’s crash.
Two others, believed to be brothers, were also travelling in the car and were left seriously injured.
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