Man who beat his pregnant partner continuously is remanded in custody pending sentence

By Sonya McLean

A carpet fitter who beat his pregnant partner continuously after accusing her of cheating has been remanded in custody pending sentence next October.

John Hoey (24) of St Catherine’s Park, Rush, Co Dublin, pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to criminal damage on March 31, 2024 and assault causing the woman harm on April 3, 2024.

Garda Niamh Owens told Caroline Cummings BL, prosecuting, that when gardaí arrived at the scene they found the woman with a black eye and a cut to her head. She said she and Hoey had been in a relationship for 18 months.

She said they had been living together and things had deteriorated between them over the previous month.

She told gardaí he had been accessing her Snapchat and had accused her of cheating.

A few days previously he had smashed their patio door and had struck her in the face leaving her with a black eye.

Gda Owens said the woman’s account to gardaí of the assault on her that night was “disjointed”.

She said there were periods of Hoey beating her before he calmed down only to start attacking her again.

During the attack, Hoey pushed the woman’s head under the water while she was having a bath, he threatened her with a Stanley knife and grabbed her by the throat causing her to pass out.

He continually referred to her use of Snapchat and at one point accused her of emotional and sexual relationships with other people.

Towards the end of the attack Hoey threatened to kill the woman if he saw one more message on Snapchat that he didn’t like.

They had recently found out she was pregnant, the court heard.

She panicked and tried to run for the front door, but Hoey grabbed her by the throat, lifted her up and threw her across the hall.

When she got up from this fall, she managed to escape from the house.

Hoey chased her through the estate. He pushed her into the side of a skip but she managed to run away again.

She was screaming for help and two people passing by gave her their phone so she could contact gardaí’

Gda Owens agreed that the woman told gardaí when she initially called them that she still loved Hoey, that she was concerned for his mental health and she didn’t want him to get into any trouble.

Gda Owens said Hoey was not at the house when they arrived there around 4.30am.

They found him shortly afterwards wheeling a young child around in a pram.

Hoey made admissions during a follow-up interview with gardaí.

He has no previous convictions and the woman and Hoey are still in a relationship.

Their baby was born late last year.

The woman did not complete a victim impact statement.

Eoghan Weldon BL, defending, said his client is currently working as a carpet fitter.

He said Hoey was “subject to a serious amount of violence growing up” and is aware that he has anger management issues.

Mr Weldon said he was not trying to minimise what his client did, describing Hoey as being “very stupid and very foolish” on the night.

He acknowledged that Hoey was fortunate that the woman did not suffer more serious injuries.

Counsel said that Hoey has attended for counselling and anger management since the assault.

Mr Weldon said his client is committed to being there for his young daughter and his partner’s other children.

He asked the court to consider ordering a report from The Probation Service before imposing sentence.

Ms Cummings told Judge Orla Crowe that if the defence wished to have the case adjourned to allow for the preparation of a probation report the State were requesting for Hoey to have his bail revoked and remanded in custody.

Judge Crowe said it had been her intention to remand Hoey in custody after she said “the case was very concerning”.

She adjourned sentence to next October and said Hoey should engage with The Probation Service and undergo any courses that would focus on domestic violence.

Gda Owens said that Hoey pushed the victim’s head under the water while she was having a bath after he struck her in the stomach with a toilet brush causing her to bleed.

He also pushed her head and into the side of the bath banging her nose and tooth.

She begged him to stop and pushed him away.

He then “turned nice” and tried to help.

Hoey went back on the woman’s Snapchat and complained that she had been speaking to people behind his back.

She picked up a bag to pack and leave. Hoey then boxed the woman in the skull causing to hit her head off the wardrobe.

He apologised and said he had not meant to box her.

She went to leave the bedroom to sleep in the sitting room but Hoey followed her and convinced her to come back to their bed.

He was calm at that point but then again accused her of emotional and sexual relationship with other people.

He grabbed a Stanley knife and threatened the woman with it, pointing it at her face and close to neck.

He calmed down again after that.

At one point the woman left the room to go to another bedroom in the house but Hoey followed her and grabbed her by the throat.

She described herself as “passing out” as a result.

He continued to check through her phone going back over her old emails until he found a two year old message that had indicated she was single.

The woman described Hoey as “freaking out again” and said he tried to headbutt her.

She went back downstairs and he followed her.

She ran from him, placing a clothes horse between them but he picked it up and threw it, smashing a mirror as a result.

It was shortly after this that the woman managed to escape the house.

Hoey admitted to assaulting the woman and producing a knife.

He admitted that he had lost control and had acted in a threatening manner.

He accepted that there were periods of calm before he got mad again.

Hoey accepted he had grabbed the woman by the neck and threatened to kill her.