Man sentenced to two years in jail for assaulting girlfriend over Christmas period
A young man who visited his girlfriend’s house to hang Christmas decorations woke the next day to assault her by punching her in the eye and banging her head against a counter top in the kitchen of her home.
The injured party fled in terror from her home.
Sergeant John Sharkey said the young woman was bleeding when she called to her neighbour’s house and practically fell through the back door of their home for help.
“She was shaking and could hardly open her two eyes. The gardaí were called. She was taken to hospital.”
Aaron O’Connor of 4 Chapel Lane, Youghal, County Cork, was sentenced to two years in jail, consecutive to another sentence he is serving for previous assaults on her.
The last nine months of the two years were suspended on condition that he would stay away from her for a period of two years on his release from prison.
O’Connor, 26, pleaded guilty at Cork Circuit Criminal Court to the single count of assault causing harm on November 28, 2018 at Red Barn Cottages, Youghal, where he assaulted the young woman by banging her head against a counter and by punching her, thereby causing her harm.
Sergeant Sharkey said it was an on again/off again relationship that had gone on for two and a half years. He said O’Connor became verbally abusive to her and checked her phone on the morning of the assault to go through her call history. He also smashed her phone.
Judge Seán Ó Donnabháin said, “There is a very clear picture of a girl being assaulted and terrified in her house over a period of time. It is a serious picture which I can see without photos.
This is an extremely serious case given the length of time the abuse and assault continued. It is a family situation that was invaded and violated by the accused.
The judge said the banging of the victim's head against a hard surface was the violence of domination.
“The accused has pleaded guilty. He says he has insight into what he has done. He is remorseful,” the judge said.
Patrick O’Riordan defence barrister said the accused had undertaken anger management through a counsellor. Judge Ó Donnabháin directed that this would continue on his release from prison.
Mr O’Riordan BL said the accused had brought €2,000 compensation to court for the victim. He wrote a letter expressing how sorry he was to the victim and her family. In the course of writing that letter, he said he hated himself for what he had done and added, “I will never forgive myself.”
