Judge thought 'long and hard' before giving man suspended sentence for beating up his ex

He also pleaded guilty to threatening to kill or seriously harm Ms Power and to criminal damage on the same date.

Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard that during the prolonged assault, Farnan told the woman she wouldn't leave the house alive.

He dragged her by the hair and swung her around, threw her across a room, and placed his hands around her throat. The attack ended when he began hitting himself in the face and the victim grabbed her baby and ran out of the home.

After his arrest, Farnan told gardaí the victim had “slagged” him off for self harming. He denied using violence.

A medical report found she had bruising on her neck and suffered whiplash to the neck. The court heard she still suffers daily headaches, nightmares and panic attacks since the attack.

In a victim impact statement she said the attack traumatised her in every way and the physical injuries left her unable to lift or play physically with her child.

Sentencing Farnan today, Judge Karen O'Connor said she thought “long and hard” about jailing Farnan. But she accepted that he has made significant efforts at rehabilitating himself and has no history of violence prior to this assault.

She imposed a sentence of two years and nine months and suspended it entirely on a number of conditions.

“Had their been any violence in his background, I would have imposed a custodial sentence,” the judge said, before addressing Farnan directly.

“If you come before me again, you will serve the full sentence. If this woman is approached by you and you behave in an aggressive or unacceptable manner ever again, or during the probation period, you will spend this time in custody."

“I can't stress how close you came to getting a custodial sentence.”

Judge O'Connor said Farnan subjected Ms Power to a “terrifying ordeal” in front of their young child. “He terrified this woman and in addition to that, he caused injuries,” she said, noting Ms Power suffered a “whiplash type injury” to her neck and was traumatised after the assault.

The court heard on the day before the attack Farnan became jealous because he believed the victim was seeing someone else.

The following morning, a car pulled up at speed outside Ms Power's home. Farnan came in, dropped a bag of unopened beer and dragged Ms Power into the kitchen.

He had his hands around her neck and held her up against a kitchen dresser. He asked her “who owned their daughter” and she told him that he did.

She begged him to let her go and he told her “she wouldn't leave house alive”. He swung her across the kitchen floor.

He threw a chair at her. She crawled into the sitting room and Farnan then threw a pram at her and screamed at her to stand up. He then threw her back on the floor.

Ms Power asked Farnan to let her leave, the court heard. He became more annoyed and punched a door and grabbed the victim by the hair and swung her.

He placed his hands around her throat and the victim was gasping for air. Farnan told her: “It would be much easier if she would be dead” and said it would be “easy for him to rip her arms off or break them”.

During the attack, Farnan smashed cups all over the kitchen. When he began hitting himself in the face, Ms Power grabbed her baby and ran out of the house and to a neighbour's house.

The alarm was raised and gardaí came out to the house where they found Farnan asleep on a couch. He refused to stand up and became verbally abusive and shouted: “This isn't even the start, she will see what I will do, fucking c**t.”