A man who attacked his ex-partner after she refused to get back together with him received a suspended jail sentence and was told not to contact her for the rest of his life.
The 45-year-old man who cannot be named to protect the identity of his victim pleaded guilty to assaulting and falsely imprisoning his former partner on March 5, 2011. The man called to her home in north Mayo to try and rekindle their relationship which had ended eight months previously but when she refused to take him back he attacked her.
Garda Charles Elliot told Castlebar Circuit Court that the victim tried to run back into her house but the defendant forced his way in. He kicked the radiator and punched the walls before telling her he was going to kill her. He then grabbed her by the neck and told her to pack her bags.
He forced her into her car and drove away but she managed to escape some miles later around Ardagh and alert the gardaí. The defendant continued to drive but soon crashed her car but then went to the home of an off-duty garda he knew and went to Crossmolina Garda Station where he was detained.
When interviewed by gardaí he made a full admission and expressed his remorse but denied drinking before the incident. The victim suffered from bruising and tenderness and also from shock and still suffered from anxiety five weeks after the incident.
Garda Elliot told the court the defendant had no previous convictions but had a difficulty with alcohol.
Mr Michael O’Connor BL for the defendant said his client had a history with alcohol and had been under the care of a psychiatrist but did not have mental health problems. He said he was ashamed of what he did and wrote a letter to apologise. In the letter he said there was no justification for what he did and could not fathom why he did it.
Mr O’Connor said he had been previously married with three children and there was no history of domestic violence. He said he put his hands up straight away and asked the judge to be lenient when sentencing. He added he had €2,000 as a token of his remorse to give to the victim.
Judge Tony Hunt said there were sinister undertones regarding what happened but accepted it was out of character. He said he could not condone such behaviour and sentenced the defendant to two and a half years imprisonment but suspended the sentence for two and a half years. The defendant also gave an undertaking not to have any direct or indirect contact with the victim and was ordered to pay her an additional €1,000 within the next 18 months.