Dublin man jailed for “unforgivable” attack on fiancée

By Eimear Dodd

A Dublin man has been jailed for an “unforgivable” attack on his then-fiancée over several hours, during which he choked and punched her.

The 40-year-old man, who can’t be named for legal reasons, pleaded guilty to assault causing harm on a date in December 2022. He has no previous convictions.

Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard that the couple were in a long-term relationship and engaged at the time.

On the night in question, they got into an argument about social media which lasted some time. The woman then went to get ready for bed and was taking a shower when the man entered the bathroom and accused her of cheating on him.

He became aggressive and, later in the kitchen, stopped the victim from leaving the room by standing in the doorway.

The man became abusive when the woman called his mother, saying he was going to “smash her face in”. He then knocked her to the ground and grabbed her hair.

He then knelt on her arms and called her a “slut”. He held her down, then pushed on her chest with her knees.

She begged the man to let her up, and after a few minutes, he let her stand. The victim went to the bedroom to get ready to leave.

The man continued to verbally abuse the victim, who asked him to let her leave. He told her to get into the bed, which she did. He then started to choke her with both hands and put his knee to the front of her neck.

He took off his jacket and told the woman to fight him before spitting in her face. The woman managed to run to the front door, where she held up a crutch. The man used this to pull her towards him and back into the bedroom.

The attack lasted several hours. The woman later slept in the sitting room and arranged to be collected by someone else the following morning.

The man said he was sorry and asked her not to leave, but she went to her mother’s house. She was in a lot of pain and showed the bruises on her neck, arms and legs to her mother and a friend.

Photos of her injuries taken by a friend were shown to the court. A victim impact statement was handed to the court but not read aloud.

The woman went to her local garda station five days later in a visibly distressed and shaken state. She told gardai she was in fear of the man.

Following his arrest, he made some admissions during interview. He accepted he was violent towards the victim and caused her injury but offered a slightly different version of events.

He said he was “disgusted” by his actions and told gardai he was having mental health difficulties at the time.

The garda accepted a suggestion from the defence that the woman’s physical injuries appeared to be healing when she visited the garda station but that the upset and fear were still present.

Defence counsel told the court his client’s actions were “cowardly and reprehensible” and took place after making “something out of nothing”.

He said his client is “sorry he caused someone he truly loves such harm”, and it is the “biggest regret of his life”.

The man has sought help for his mental health issues, and a letter from a counsellor was submitted to the court.

Counsel acknowledged that this incident took place in the woman’s home and was carried out by the “person she thought she was going to be her life partner”.

He asked the court to take into consideration the mitigating features of the case including his client’s guilty plea, cooperation with gardai, work history and lack of previous convictions.

Judge Martin Nolan said the man assaulted his then-partner “for reasons known only to himself” on the night in question. He noted an attack on an intimate partner is an aggravating factor, and this one was “too prolonged and too serious” not to result in a custodial sentence.

The judge said the man attacked his partner over a long period, and it “must have been an incredible ordeal” for the victim.

Taking the mitigation and the man’s personal circumstances into consideration, Judge Nolan imposed a 21-month sentence.

He added that the court might have considered not imposing an immediate custodial sentence if the incident had been “only one short episode of violence”, but the man “attacked this lady viciously over a long period”.

“That is unforgivable, and he must go to prison,” the judge added.