Man jailed for 5 years for assaulting partner

By Claire Henry

A man who “attacked, assaulted, kicked and humiliated” his then partner has been jailed for 5 years.

The man, who cannot be named in order to protect the identity of the injured party, pleaded guilty to multiple counts of assault, criminal damage and the breach of safety orders on dates in July 2024 at a Dublin address.

Passing sentence on Friday, Judge Martin Nolan said this man “attacked, assaulted, kicked and humiliated this woman”, noting that he repeated his actions on three more occasions.

The judge noted that the injured party did not sustain any serious injuries but did suffer serious soft tissue injuries along with mental health trauma.

Judge Nolan noted the aggravating factors that the former couple had been in a relationship and that this man did not respect his former partner. He said there were clear mitigating factors in the guilty pleas, the true remorse shown, and that this man did not benefit from a great upbringing

Judge Nolan said these were violent attacks and they must be taken seriously. He sentenced the man to five years each on two of the assault causing harm counts, which are to run concurrently. He backdated the sentence to when the man went into custody on this matter.

An investigating Garda told Emmet Nolan, BL, prosecuting, that on July 28 the former couple had a verbal dispute which escalated to the defendant punching the woman. He then threw a hairbrush at her that cut her on the back of the ear, and she required stitches.

 The following morning, the defendant and the injured party had an argument regarding a third party. The man picked up a chair and threw it at the woman. The man hit and kicked the woman and followed her downstairs and attempted to stop her from leaving the house. The woman told gardai she was in fear and left.

Later that evening, the woman had returned to the house and was drinking with a third party; the woman passed out and was taken to hospital via ambulance. Upon returning to the home, the defendant smashed her iPhone and punched her in the face. The woman made a statement to the Gardaí, and the man was arrested in the garden.

The court heard that the man was aggressive and confrontational during interview. A victim impact statement was handed into the court but not read out. The defendant has 36 previous convictions, all of which are from the District Court.

The court heard of another incident when gardai responded to a call in which the injured party reported having an argument with her former partner. The man had left the area before the gardai arrived. The following day, the woman presented to a garda station and informed them that her former partner had returned the previous day, and they had gotten into a verbal argument, and he had put his fist through the TV.

The man then pushed the woman against the hot-press door, but she escaped to the bedroom. The man followed her and put his hands on her neck before jumping on the bed and stamping on her head,

Fiona Murphy, SC, defending, told the court that her client fully apologises for his behaviour in all the offences and takes full responsibility. She said it was clear that alcohol and intoxicants had been consumed but that he does not wish to hide behind this.

She said he was a young man who was angry and it was directed at someone who was kind and loving. She handed a letter of apology to the court which stated he fully recognised his apparent behaviour and is ashamed of his actions.

Counsel said her client did not have a conventional upbringing and had outbursts of anger as a teenager. He began to abuse substances in his mid-teens.

Ms Murphy told the court that her client fully accepts that he was in the wrong and recognises that the injured party was one of the very good things in his life. She said he is willing to engage with any services that the court deems necessary.

She asked the court to leave some light at the end of the tunnel.