A former Irish boxing team captain has been jailed for six years for stabbing her cousin 12 times in a frenzied "vendetta" attack in Mullingar.
Mary Nevin, aged 25, pleaded guilty to causing serious harm to her second cousin, Mary-Kate Nevin, 22, on 3 May 2024, near the accused's home on Austin Friars Street in the Co Westmeath town.
Once an underage boxer who represented Ireland internationally, Mary Nevin appeared before Mullingar Circuit Criminal Court for sentencing.
The unprovoked knife attack has left Mary-Kate Nevin traumatised and struggling with life-changing physical injuries, the court heard.
Judge Keenan Johnson stressed that the victim, a hairdresser who had never been in trouble, was completely innocent and targeted because of a feud between certain members of two families.
"People cannot take the law into their own hands by taking part in violent vendettas or feuding," he said, adding that the court must send out a message as a deterrence, that feuds and knife crimes will attract a significant custodial sentence.
The Director of Public Prosecutions urged a 10–15 year prison term. The charge is under section 4 of the Non-Fatal Offences Against the Person Act, which carries a possible life sentence.
Noting all the aggravating factors, the judge set a headline sentence of 12 years. Considering the mitigating factors, he reduced it to nine years, suspending the final three on condition that Mary Nevin does not reoffend for seven years after release and complies with probation supervision.
Judge Johnson viewed CCTV evidence of the incident, where Mary-Kate Nevin genuinely believed she would die. He described it as frenzied and savage.
The court heard how tensions flared up on social media between different sides of a feud sparked by a €40 drug debt, which had nothing to do with the victim. The judge remarked that the small sum raised concerns about Mary Nevin's ability to control her anger.
Earlier, Judge Johnson strongly criticised violent feuding among the Travelling Community, saying it had a wonderful culture to be proud of, but it was diminished and dragged into the gutter by this type of incident.
In evidence, Detective Garda Adrian O'Reilly said Mary-Kate Nevin and her partner were planning a night out to the cinema, but intended to stop at her sister's first.
As she walked along Austin Friars Street, Mary Nevin opened her door and repeatedly asked her to come inside.
Mary-Kate Nevin told gardaí she barely knew the accused, having met her only once, and refused, saying she did not want any trouble.
Mary Nevin told the victim, "I'll slit your f***ing throat, you ugly tramp," ran at her and hit her in the face, and a struggle ensued.
The victim felt what she thought were pinches, and when she got away, she could see she was bleeding heavily.
At that point, she noticed Mary Nevin walking back into her apartment holding a black-handled kitchen knife.
It emerged that Mary-Kate Nevin had been stabbed 12 times on her shoulder and down her arms.
She underwent five-hour emergency surgery, plastic surgery, two blood transfusions and has been left permanently injured.
Medical reports indicated that some of the lacerations were very deep, causing significant muscle and nerve damage.
She lost all mobility in her left arm and hand, meaning she cannot return to work as a hairdresser, which had been her lifelong goal. Daily tasks have become impossible to do on her own.
She was learning to drive but had to stop because she could no longer control a car.
The wounds forced her to stop further training in hairdressing, and she described how the attack had "stolen my future".
She had never been in a fight and was unable to defend herself against Mary Nevin, who was a trained boxer.
Mary-Kate Nevin also spoke out about having never brought trouble on herself with gardaí or among the Travelling or settled community.
The court heard she had to cope with PTSD, depression, nightmares and flashbacks and barely goes out. "I'm a quarter the person I was," she said.
It also emerged that she suffered intimidation afterwards and that Mary Nevin had laughed at her about it since.
She was in constant extreme fear and described the knife attack as gruesome, adding that the ordeal would remain with her for the rest of her life.
Mary Nevin, also gave evidence and said, "I want to apologise from the bottom of my heart".
She told defence counsel John Hayden SC that she was offering €5,000 as a token of remorse to her younger cousin, which was declined, and that the money would instead go to a local community initiative.
The court heard she was engaged in a training course and availing of therapeutic supports.
She had no recorded criminal convictions but received the Probation of Offenders Act for public order and violent disorder offences seven weeks before the stabbing.
The court heard that Mary Nevin had been attacked by a Russian coach in 2016 during a European Championship competition in Germany.
She told the court on Tuesday that it affected her significantly and led to her quitting boxing.
She also spoke about having suffered from depression and being the victim of domestic violence in a past relationship.
References from a former coach and a priest were handed in to the court. The judge accepted it was out of character, and noted her mental health issues and the negative impact of her previous partner, who instructed her to carry out the assault.
