Woman pulled teen girl’s hair and tried to steal her phone at bus stop, court told

Lisa Joyce (36) is accused of carrying out the “random attack” after first asking the children for spare change as they sat near a bus stop on O’Connell Street.

Judge Gerard Jones refused to grant her bail and remanded her in custody when she appeared in Dublin District Court.

Ms Joyce, with an address at St Brigid’s Lawn, Porterstown, Clonsilla in west Dublin is accused of two counts of attempted robbery.

Objecting to bail, a garda told Dublin District Court the incident was alleged to have happened at O’Connell Street on May 21.

He said two 13-year-old girls were sitting on the ground outside the Pick & Pay shop, waiting for a bus.

It was alleged the accused approached them and asked them for spare change but they told her they only had their bus fare. One of the girls had a mobile phone in her hand and the accused requested to use it, the garda continued.

The court heard there was a struggle for the phone, which was not taken.

Judge Jones asked if the girls were hurt. The garda said one of them had her hair pulled.

He also said there was a threat allegedly made by the accused during the incident.

Applying for bail, defence barrister Kevin McCrave said the allegation was of an alleged “random, once-off attack” and the accused was not going to bump into the alleged victims again if she was released.

The garda said the accused had the alleged victims’ names from the charges and had seen their faces.

He was concerned about the potential for intimidation of witnesses if Ms Joyce was granted bail.

Mr McCrave said the accused was herself vulnerable, had “issues” and was “barely able to take care of herself”.

She had family members in court to support her.

Mr McCrave said Ms Joyce enjoyed a presumption of innocence until proven guilty.

“This was two 13-year-old girls sitting on O’Connell Street in Dublin waiting on a bus home and they are (allegedly) attacked in this manner,” Judge Jones said.

“I regard this as a most serious incident.”

He refused bail.

As she was taken into custody, Ms Joyce broke down in tears, saying: “That is not true, I don’t attack kids. I have kids.”