Two teenage twin sisters were stabbed with a broken glass bottle after rejecting "prolonged" advances from a man on Dublin's Dame Street on Saturday, a court has heard.
Shando Alfa, a 27-year-old, who is of no fixed abode, has been refused bail.
He is charged with assault causing harm to both young women, aged 18, who had been socialising in the city centre, and also to a male passerby who attempted to assist them during the incident.
At Dublin District Court, Judge Ciaran Liddy noted the objections made by investigating garda Colm Carroll, who described it as a "violent, vicious and unprovoked attack" that led to serious injuries.
Mr Alfa "made no comment" after gardaí charged him at Pearse Street station, the court heard.
The alleged offences are under Section 3 of the Non-Fatal Offences Against the Person Act which on conviction is punishable by a maximum ten-year sentence.
Details emerged during a contested bail hearing where Mr Carroll said that shortly before 2.30am, the sisters attempted to cross Dame Street where they were met by a male, subsequently identified as Mr Alfa, who they did not know.
It was alleged that the accused began "pestering" them and made "unwanted advances" which were rejected.
The twins made their way to a bus stop while the accused allegedly continued making advances.
Garda Carroll said: "Both females repeatedly requested this male to leave them alone.
"He refused to."
The court heard that a passerby, a man unknown to the sisters, intervened and asked the accused to leave them alone.
Garda Carroll said this culminated in the accused launching an unprovoked and vicious assault while brandishing the head of a broken green glass bottle.
Judge Liddy was told the accused was said to have struck the man with a piece of the bottle and stabbed him in the head.
One of the girls then tried to intervene, and both she and her sister were subjected to violence.
The court heard one of the young women was grabbed by her head, pulled down and punched in the face, and suffered a deep laceration to her hand believed to be inflicted by a sharply pointed article brandished by the accused.
Her sister was struck on the head, resulting in a cut, which was also thought to be caused by the object in his hand.
It was alleged that the accused fled the scene.
The sisters were taken by ambulance to Tallaght University Hospital.
One had two deep lacerations to the top of her head that needed staples and she suffered bruising under her eye.
The second also had a deep cut to her hand that needed stitches and she will need surgery.
It was alleged that green glass was recovered from the twins' injuries as well, the court heard.
The injured passerby required stitches at Connolly Hospital in Blanchardstown, where medical staff removed glass from his wound.
The judge was informed that there was excellent quality CCTV footage before, during and after the incident.
Garda Carroll said there was a camera phone recording with audio of the young women "pleading" with the man to leave them alone before the assault.
The garda maintained the accused was in the video evidence holding the broken bottle and swinging in a stabbing motion.
He also said the accused made no effort to conceal his identity.
The court heard that on arrest, he still had the head of the broken green glass bottle.
During his interview, he made no comment to questions.
The court heard the two young women have given statements and descriptions of the incident.
The man who was attacked wishes to cooperate in the investigation, but has yet to provide a statement because he was still receiving treatment.
Mr Alfa, Somali national, first became known to be in the country in February 2025, however, there was no record of his port of entry.
As he had no family in the country or ties to the country, Mr Carroll had significant flight risk concerns, and he added that additional charges could be brought.
The garda believed the accused showed a clear propensity to violence and he had grave concerns if he were released on bail.
Defence solicitor Kate McGhee challenged the garda's assertion that her client was clearly identifiable in the video evidence.
However, Mr Carroll replied that the footage was of excellent quality and that the accused's face could be seen as he walked down Dame Street.
The video evidence was not played during the bail hearing.
The court heard the case is likely to be sent forward to the Circuit Court and the defence solicitor submitted that Mr Alfa, who has the presumption of innocence, could face a lengthy period in custody awaiting trial.
The defence argued the accused, who previously lived in Co Wicklow, could be released on bail subject to various conditions if he provided an address, but Judge Liddy denied bail.
Mr Alfa, who did not address the court, was granted legal aid and remanded in custody pending directions from the Director of Public Prosecutions.
He is scheduled to appear at Cloverhill District Court on Wednesday.
