A man, Conor Greaney (25), has been detained after being accused of an assault in the hub of Cork City, resulting in serious ankle injuries to a woman, necessitating hospital treatment. The woman involved, boutique owner Selina Regazzoli (35), was hospitalised with a broken and dislocated ankle after the incident took place near Cork’s GPO around 9.40am on a Thursday. Greaney claimed to the gardaí that his attack on Regazzoli was due to an identity error.
During a bail appeal hearing at a specially scheduled session of the Cork District Court on Saturday, Greaney acknowledged his assault on Regazzoli was due to mistaken identity. Officer Orla Moriarty, from the Anglesea Street Garda station, testified regarding the arrest and charge of Greaney. He handed himself to the Bridewell Garda station voluntarily.
No response was made by Greaney when he was cautioned about his assault charge against Regazzoli, under Section 3 of the Non-Fatal Offences Against the Person Act 1997, dated March 7th. Inspector David Noonan and Officer Moriarty expressed their oppositions to bail for Greaney, citing the severity of the accusation and robustness of the evidence as their main grounds.
Moriarty revealed that it will be alleged that Greaney attacked Regazzoli without provocation whilst she was commuting to work outside the GPO, striking her in the face. The attack led to Regazzoli falling and severely injuring her right ankle, requiring her to be transferred via ambulance to the Cork University Hospital for surgical intervention.
Moriarty added, the entire episode was recorded on CCTV, which undoubtedly identifies Greaney as the attacker, an admission he made whilst under gardaí questioning. After his arrest, Greaney’s interview revealed Regazzoli wasn’t his intended victim, however he claimed to retaliate against the intended victim in the future, according to Officer Moriarty.
In her statement, she expressed police unease about Mr Greaney possibly committing more criminal activities should he be granted bail, especially considering his previous threats to another individual, and their apprehension of potential witness tampering. During her cross-examination by Elaine Audley BL, barrister acting on behalf of Mr Greaney’s lawyer, Frank Buttimer, Officer Moriarty admitted that Ms Regazzoli, a Dublin native, resided outside Cork. Regardless, Officer Moriarty pointed out Ms Regazzoli’s significant social media following of over 28,000 on Instagram, prompting fears that Mr Greaney might attempt to connect with her via the platform.
In his bid for bail, Mr Greaney took to the stand, disclosing his past addiction to cocaine and benzodiazepines. Even though he had been clean for three years, he admitted to a recent relapse. He maintains that he does not know Ms Regazzoli personally and that her attack was a case of misidentification, claiming that his actual target had been harassing him.
Judge Dorgan concluded after careful consideration of the evidence that the police had presented a robust case against Mr Greaney’s bail. She noted his residence as Farranferris Avenue, Farranree, Cork. The judge ordered Mr Greaney’s remand in custody with a planned video link appearance at the Cork District Court on March 14th, granting him the possibility to apply for bail again, provided he resolves his address issues.
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