A teenager has been charged for his involvement in an incident which left a Canadian tourist blind in one eye.
The Irish Independent reports that a police spokesperson confirmed that a 19-year-old male from the Birr area in Co Offaly was charged with serious assault on Thursday.
The teenager was charged in relation to a pub brawl which left Canadian resident Marie Gauvin, 58, blind in one eye.
The mother of one was home in Ireland on vacation with her 84-year-old father and sister Irene, 53. The group had attended an event for the Gathering in Birr on Sunday August 4th, earlier that evening.
Gauvin, who doesn’t drink, was an innocent bystander when a fight broke out at an area known as Keel’s Archway at around 11pm. Gauvin, who wasn’t involved, was struck in the face by a glass beer bottle, which severed her retina and fractured bones in her eye socket.
The Irish emigrant was rushed to Tullamore Hospital for treatment before being transferred to the Royal Victoria Eye and Ear Hospital in Dublin, where she underwent surgery. As a result of the incident she was blinded in on eye and received 23 stitches in total.
The accused is due to appear in Portlaoise District Court on Monday, August 19.
The Canadian immigrant said she would return to Ireland to give evidence if needed.
"If they require me, I will be there," she said.
Comments