Jealous man attacked ex-partner and her friend after breaking into her house

A jealous man who reacted to his ex-partner being in a new relationship broke into her living room through a window when she was watching television with a friend and the culprit attacked both people and trashed the room.

39-year-old Shane McCarthy of no fixed address and formerly of Church Bay, Crosshaven, County Cork, is now starting a jail term of three and a half years imposed on him by Judge Colin Daly at Cork Circuit Criminal Court.

Sergeant David Fleming gave evidence of the accused man being motivated by jealousy because he believed that his ex-partner was in a new relationship.

Shane McCarthy smashed his way through a sitting room window of the woman’s home at Upper Aghada, County Cork, on February 16 2023.

He carried out assaults causing harm on both parties who were present. 

One of them was his ex-partner. 

The man who was there was a friend and was not someone with whom she was in a relationship.

Sgt Fleming said this man tried to intervene to protect the woman from the attack by Shane McCarthy. 

However, his intervention resulted in him becoming the second victim of Shane McCarthy’s actions on the occasion.

Judge Colin Daly said in the course of sentencing that the long-term effect on the woman who was assaulted is not fully known as yet.

There was a second set of charges against the same man where he pleaded guilty to burglary and criminal damage by breaking into his ex-partner’s house, taking the keys of her car and driving away in it.

Shane McCarthy entered a signed plea of guilty to the charges against him.