Police claimed the man they clashed over also joined in the assault which left the victim with a fractured eye socket.
12:28, 20 May 2026
The incident happened in the Fitzroy Avenue area(Image: Google Streetview)
A woman was allegedly knocked unconscious by a love rival punching and kicking her about the face at a flat in south Belfast, a court has heard
Police claimed the man they clashed over also joined in the assault, which left the victim with a fractured eye socket. Details emerged as defendant Cian Quinn mounted a bid to be released from custody.
Quinn and his co-accused, Elizabeth Sterrett, both aged 28, have been charged with causing grievous bodily harm with intent.
They allegedly attacked the woman at an apartment in the Fitzroy Avenue area on February 15 this year.
Belfast Magistrates’ Court heard police were alerted after she attended a nearby hostel covered in blood and with severe facial injuries.
The woman claimed Sterrett, of New Lodge Road in the city, knocked her to the ground during a row while they were in the flat with two men.
“The next thing she remembered is Elizabeth and one of the males punching and kicking her to the face, head and body, causing her to lose consciousness,” an investigating detective said.
Heavily bruised about the face and body, the woman was taken to the Royal Victoria Hospital for treatment.
She had sustained three fractures to her left eye, a shoulder injury, and could not open either eye, the court heard.
Quinn, an Irish national with an address at Southview Street in Belfast, was detained after the victim named “Cian” as the alleged male assailant.
During police interviews he accepted being in the apartment but denied any involvement when a fight broke out between the two women.
“He suspected it was over him having been intimate with both of them,” the detective said.
Opposing bail, police stressed the victim sustained serious, long-term injuries in the attack carried out at a flat known for anti-social behaviour and drug use.
She briefly moved to Scotland in the aftermath amid fears of further incidents, the court heard.
The detective added: “This assault is believed to have occurred due to a dispute over Mr Quinn who both the victim and co-accused sought a romantic relationship with.”
Quinn’s solicitor, Paul Dougan, argued Sterrett is alleged to have been the lead assailant.
With at least one other man said to have been present, he claimed the evidence against his client was limited to the victim giving his first name.
“There is every possibility that Mr Quinn has been mistakenly identified by this complainant who may have some issue because of a romantic involvement between the parties at the time,” Mr Dougan submitted.
“He accepted being present but (said he) played no part in this.”
Adjourning the bail application, District Judge Natasha Fitzsimons requested further information on the alleged evidence against Quinn.
She stated: “I need to know exactly the circumstances in which his name was given and if it was just his first name.”
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