Bench warrant issued for woman who stabbed Tinder 'date' at apartment complex

A BENCH warrant has been issued for the arrest of a woman who has admitted stabbing a man she allegedly met on the dating app Tinder.

Inita Romanovska, aged 36, who has an address at Cahercalla, Kilrush Road, Ennis, County Clare, pleaded guilty, in February, to a charge of intentionally attempting to cause serious harm to Stephen O'Flaherty during an incident at an apartment complex at Henry Street, Limerick on March 11, 2020.

Ms Romanovska, who was initially charged with attempted murder, was previously told she would not stand trial at the Central Criminal Court for over two years due to the backlog of court cases that had arisen during the pandemic.

The defendant, who is originally from Latvia, has been on bail since she pleaded guilty three months ago, ahead of a sentencing hearing which was due to take place this Wednesday.

However, when the case was called, her lawyer Michael Bowman SC told the Central Criminal Court she had not arrived and was not contactable by phone.

Ms Justice Eileen Creedon issued a bench warrant and postponed the sentencing hearing. 

At a district court hearing in Limerick, where Ms Romanovska was originally charged, the court heard that she met the injured party on Tinder and while they had been on a number of dates, they were not in a relationship.