A young mother and former elite Irish boxing team captain has been jailed for six years for stabbing a cousin 12 times in a frenzied “vendetta” attack in Mullingar.Mary Nevin (25) pleaded guilty to causing serious harm to her second cousin, Mary-Kate Nevin (22), on May 3rd, 2024, near the accused’s home on Austin Friars Street in the Co Westmeath town.Once an underage boxer who represented Ireland internationally, she faced sentencing on Friday morning at Mullingar Circuit Criminal Court.The unprovoked knife attack has left the “blameless” victim traumatised and with life-changing injuries.Passing sentence, Judge Keenan Johnson stressed that the victim, a hairdresser who had never been in trouble, was completely innocent and was targeted because of a feud between certain members of two families.“People cannot take the law into their own hands by taking part in violent vendettas or feuding,” he said, adding that the court had to send out a message, as a deterrent, that feuds and knife crimes would attract significant custodial sentences. The Director of Public Prosecutions urged a prison term of 10-15 years. The charge was under section 4 of the Non-Fatal Offences Against the Person Act, which carries a possible life sentence. He sentenced her to nine years, suspending the final three on condition that Nevin does not reoffend for seven years after release and complies with probation supervision.The court heard how tensions flared up on social media between different sides of a feud sparked by a €40 drug debt that had nothing to do with the victim. Earlier, Johnson strongly criticised violent feuding among the Travelling community, saying it had a wonderful culture to be proud of, but it was diminished and dragged into the gutter by this type of incident. In evidence, Det Gda Adrian O’Reilly said Mary-Kate Nevin and her partner were walking along Austin Friars Street when the accused opened her door and repeatedly asked her to come inside.The victim told gardaí she barely knew the accused, having met her only once, and refused, saying she did not want any trouble.Mary Nevin told the victim: “I’ll slit your f*****g throat, you ugly tramp”, ran at her and hit her in the face. A struggle ensued.The victim was stabbed 12 times on her shoulder and down her arms. She underwent a five-hour emergency surgery, plastic surgery and two blood transfusions. The victim has lost all mobility in her left arm and hand, meaning she cannot return to work as a hairdresser, which had been her lifelong goal. Daily tasks have become impossible to do on her own, the court heard. The court heard she had to cope with PTSD, depression, nightmares and flashbacks and barely goes out. “I’m a quarter the person I was,” she said.It emerged that she suffered intimidation afterwards and that Mary Nevin had laughed at her about it since.Mary Nevin said: “I want to apologise from the bottom of my heart”.She offered €5,000 as a token of remorse to her younger cousin, which was declined. The money will instead go to a local community initiative. The court heard she was engaged in a training course and availing of therapeutic supports.She had no recorded criminal convictions but received the Probation of Offenders Act for public order and violent disorder offences seven weeks before the stabbing.References from a former coach and a priest were handed in to the court. The judge accepted it was out of character, and noted her mental health issues and the negative impact of her previous partner, who instructed her to carry out the assault.