Woman accused of spitting in shop assistant's face and claiming she had coronavirus refused bail, court hears
A WOMAN accused of spitting in a shop assistant's face and telling him she had Covid-19 has been refused bail.
Nikita Ronan (24) allegedly spat on the man and made the threat after hurling abuse at him in an incident at a Dublin city centre convenience store.
Judge Paula Murphy denied her bail and remanded her in custody.
Ms Ronan, of no fixed address, is charged with assault and threatening, abusive and insulting behaviour at Spar on Dame Street on April 5.
Garda Sean Murphy told Dublin District Court it was alleged the accused became verbally abusive to staff in the shop. It was alleged she spat in the staff member's face and told him she had Covid-19. The spit landed on the man's face and the accused fled the scene, the court heard.
Gda Murphy said he viewed CCTV and arrested Ms Ronan a short distance away. Objecting to bail, he said he believed she would fail to appear in court.
Applying for bail, Ms Ronan's lawyer said the accused had become homeless after falling in with a bad crowd. She had been going through a difficult time and living a chaotic lifestyle.
However, she was no longer homeless and had now patched things up with her father and was welcome "with open arms" at home, her lawyer continued. He asked the judge to grant bail under strict conditions, saying the accused would abide by any bail terms, including signing on daily at a garda station.
Gda Murphy said there were no bail conditions that would satisfy him.
Judge Murphy refused bail and remanded Ms Ronan in custody, to appear in court on a later date.
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