Cocaine-fuelled Donegal man left young woman with fractured jaw after one-punch attack

Stephen Maguire

A man who punched a woman in an unprovoked attack after he had taken cocaine for the first time left his victim with two fractures and needing a permanent plate and screws inserted in her jaw.

Calvin McCormack, aged 28, appeared at Donegal Circuit Court after pleading guilty to a vicious one-punch attack on Ms Hollie Hickman in Bundoran on July 2nd, 2023.

McCormack, of Gaelic Park, Bundoran, is charged with assault causing harm to Ms Hickman at Bundoran Community Library, Station Road, Bundoran.

The charge is contrary to Section 3 of the Non-Fatal Offences Against the Person Act, 1997.

Garda Mary Thornton outlined details of the incident to barrister for the state, Ms Fiona Crawford, BL.

The court heard that Ms Hickman had been out socialising with two friends earlier in the night and after visiting Paris Nightclub, they decided to get a takeaway from Apache Pizza.

The three friends were sitting outside Bundoran Library when five young men approached them.

The young women said they did not know any of the young men whom they said were being loud, rowdy, and generally annoying.

There were verbal exchanges between both parties but the young women said they told the men they didn't want anything to do with them.

A reference was made to one of the young men wearing skinny jeans which suddenly resulted in Ms Hickman, then 19, being punched in the jaw.

She fell off a window ledge she had been sitting on and said she was in great pain and could hear only a high-pitched sound.

Ms Hickman said she was so embarrassed by what had happened and only stopped the pain from being even worse by holding her jaw.

The five young men sprinted away and the young women called gardaí and an ambulance.

Ms Hickman's face was bruised and sore and she could not eat and was initially taken to Sligo University Hospital for treatment.

However, Ms Hickman's mother was not happy with her daughter's condition and she was taken to an orthodontist in Sligo before being referred to Altnagelvin Hospital in Derry where two fractures of her jaws were diagnosed.

As well as having two wisdom teeth removed, Ms Hickman had a permanent plate and screw inserted into her right jaw.

After the attack, gardaí harvested CCTV from the town centre in Bundoran and from outside the local library and McCormack was identified as the culprit behind the attack.

As gardaí were arriving at his home, they received a call from a solicitor in Galway where McCormack had been living and working at the time.

On October 21st, 2023, the accused presented himself to Ballyshannon Garda Station and was interviewed twice.

During interview, McCormack said that something must have been said and there was an altercation.

He added that he was drunk and had taken some "white powder" and that he was sorry and that he tried to keep himself to himself.

The court was told that McCormack has one previous charge and that was for assault causing harm for which he received a four-month suspended sentence in Sligo Circuit Court in 2019.

In her victim impact statement, Ms Hickman said she worked in a local shop for many years, knew everyone and her hometown was always a safe place for her.

However, she said the night of the night "changed everything for me".

She then spoke of the pain she suffered and how she had to go through extensive medical treatment as a result of the attack.

She added "I try not to let this affect my social life but I find I am on high alert all the time now and I get anxious if people come up behind me.

"I know my mum worries sick about me and that she was devastated and crying when this happened and this was really upsetting for me."

Ms Hickman also revealed how she gave up playing sport as a result of the assault as she feared sport may cause her more damage.

She said she still feels pain and she has a crunching sensation in her jaw.

"This is a constant reminder of what happened to me that day. I want Calvin to know that this attack on me will never leave me and I hope he thinks twice before ever doing something like this to another innocent person again," she added.

Addressing the court and Ms Hickman, the accused said he wanted to apologise to Ms Hickman and her family.

"I want to say I'm sorry for the harm I caused you that night and that my actions were unacceptable and that I'm very sorry," he said.

He added there was not a day that goes by that he doesn't think about what he did and that he simply wishes he could turn back time, adding he can't imagine the pain and suffering he has put Ms Hickman and her family through.

Barrister for the accused, Mr Ciaran Elders, BL, said his client had brought a token gesture of remorse of €4,500 to be offered to Ms Hickman but the court was immediately told she would not accept it.

Mr Elders said his client had been working since sitting his Leaving Certificate and had gone from working for a multinational company in Galway to becoming a full-time carer for his mother.

He referred to the Probation Report carried out on McCormack, which outlined how his client had shown deep remorse, appears to have an appreciation of his actions and did not go out with the intention of hurting anyone on the night.

A risk assessment on the accused put him at a low risk of reoffending and that he comprehends the full gravity of the offence and is deeply remorseful for his actions.

Mr Elders referenced the fact that McCormack had taken cocaine on the night but stressed that this was the only time he had taken the drug and had not done so since.

Judge John Aylmer said he was adjourning the case to allow him time to consider the matter and adjourned it until the February sittings of the circuit court in February 2026.