Man jailed after assaulting former partner on Christmas Eve

By Fiona Ferguson

A man who subjected his former partner to an hour-long ordeal of assault and threats on Christmas Eve while his two small children were present has been jailed.

His former partner, who was pregnant with his child at the time, was subjected to the “reprehensible attack” while his one and five-year-old children were upstairs after he “barged” into the house.

The 31-year-old man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to assault causing harm to his former partner on December 24, 2020, at her home.

The court heard the injured party, from whom he was separated, had contacted gardai in the early hours of the morning to say the accused man was in her home.

She had earlier asked the man to stop ringing her phone as it was waking the children, but he called again to say he was on his way over to collect his stuff. The accused “barged” into the house before slapping her face, head, and mouth. She said he was “in a rage” and foaming at the mouth.

The man verbally abused her and threatened to burn down her and her mother’s home. The man also took a knife and said he wanted to kill her. The man was arrested after the woman managed to get upstairs and ring gardai.

He currently has a new partner with whom he has a further child, and she is also pregnant.

Passing sentence on Friday, Judge Orla Crowe said it was a very serious set of circumstances involving intimate partner violence.

She said the man, who has drink and drug issues, was hugely intoxicated and in a jealous rage.

The judge said he had 30 previous convictions, but this was a serious escalation in his behaviour.

She took into account his guilty plea, apology and attempts to deal with his issues. He has not come to any further garda attention. He has no contact with the three children of his former partner.

Judge Crowe said this was a matter that warranted a custodial sentence. She said it was a “reprehensible attack” on his former partner and must be marked.

She sentenced the accused to two years and three months imprisonment and suspended the final six months for 12 months under Probation Supervision to give him light at the end of the tunnel.