Man admits gouging out eye

Published on Monday 14 September 2009 22:15

A MAN has admitted gouging out a woman's eye and throwing it over the eighth floor balcony of a tower block.

Francis Murphy, 26, appeared in court yesterday and denied that his attack on Natalie Farrell, 27, had been an attempt to murder her. He was sent for trial.

The incident happened on 26 May at Dalfield Court, Dundee, the High Court in Edinburgh heard. Murphy denied charges of assaulting another man, attacking Ms Farrell and trapping her in a bedroom.

It is alleged he repeatedly punched and kicked Ms Farrell and used a metal hook to try to gouge out her eye.

He pulled her from a cupboard, the charge claims, and placed his fingers in her eye socket and gouged out her eye.

Murphy's lawyer, Gail Goodfellow, told a preliminary hearing that he offered to plead guilty to a reduced charge of assaulting Ms Farrell to her severe injury and permanent impairment, by gouging out her eye.

In the second attempted murder charge, Murphy is said to have pursued Ms Farrell from the flat on to the common landing, where he tried to throw her over the balcony. It is further alleged that he pulled and detached her eyeball and threw it over the balcony.

Again, Ms Goodfellow said Murphy offered to plead guilty to the crime of assault to severe injury and permanent impairment, by detaching the eyeball and hurling it off the balcony.

Advocate-depute Derick Nelson said the Crown would not accept Murphy's pleas, and he asked for a trial to be set for all charges. It was fixed for 29 October, at the High Court in Edinburgh.