Man who choked former partner and hit her with bike jailed for 3.5 years
Eimear Dodd
A man who choked his former partner and hit her with a bike has been jailed for three-and-a-half years.
The 40-year-old Dublin man pleaded guilty to one count of assault causing harm on a date in February 2025. He cannot be identified for legal reasons.
On Monday, Judge Dara Hayes imposed a sentence of five years with the final 18 months suspended, with a charge of breaching a safety order taken into consideration.
Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard that the woman obtained a safety order against the man in November 2024.
The woman and the couple's child were visiting the man's home for a weekend. Everything was fine when they arrived on Friday, February 21st, 2025, but the next day, the man started shouting at the woman.
That Sunday, the man was still shouting at the woman and referred to family law matters. The man would calm down, then become agitated, the court heard.
The woman went into a spare room and the man followed her. She said he was a great father, but he misheard her, thinking she said he was not the father.
He spat in her face twice, then pulled her by the hair to the ground. He wrapped his arm around her neck, choking her.
She felt her face was going to explode. The man stopped when her face became very red. He then kicked her in the leg and hit her with a bike which was nearby.
He said if he had a knife, he’d have stabbed her. The woman stayed until the next day, as had been planned. She felt that if she tried to leave, he would stop her, the court heard.
The woman sustained a cut to her chin and marks on her face. She went to her GP several days later, then made a complaint to gardaí.
When interviewed, the man answered questions, but nothing of evidential value was obtained.
He has 82 previous convictions, including four for making threats to kill or cause serious harm, 27 for public order offences, drugs and criminal damage offences.
Five of the man's previous convictions are under the Domestic Violence Act, but relate to a different injured party – his father. The court heard the man's relationship with his family deteriorated, but is now improving.
The judge noted the woman's victim impact statement made it clear that the offending had a significant and ongoing effect on her.
The woman said in the statement that she was tormented and persecuted with such cruelty and experienced four days of hell.
The judge noted that mitigation includes the man's guilty plea, his work history, expressions of remorse and efforts to rehabilitate, including rebuilding his relationship with his family.
The man suffered a head injury following an unprovoked attack, has a diagnosis of epilepsy and experienced homelessness.
Judge Hayes noted the contents of the man's letter of apology in which he expressed remorse and the probation report, which places the man at high risk of re-offending.
The man has longstanding addiction issues, and says he is drug and alcohol-free. He is on an enhanced regime while in custody, is working as a cleaner and due to complete an alternatives to violence course.
Judge Hayes noted the serious nature of the offending and said the woman was the “victim of an unprovoked and serious assault”.
He noted the woman had been a guest in the man's home over several days during which the man's behaviour escalated. He said the assault involved a “significant element of choking” and lasted for a relatively significant period of time.
The judge noted the couple's child was in the home at the time, but there is no evidence that they witnessed the assault.
Judge Hayes said it was aggravating that this offending took place in the context of an intimate relationship and noted that the man has relevant previous convictions for breaching a safety order.
The judge noted these convictions relate to the man's father, but said it shows “a history of disregard of court orders designed to protect against such behaviour”.
Setting a headline sentence of seven years, the judge reduced the sentence to five years after considering the mitigation and the man's personal circumstances.
He suspended the final 18 months of the five-year sentence and placed the man under the supervision of the Probation Services post-release.
The judge backdated the sentence to November 2025 to reflect the time the man has already spent in custody on this case.
If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this article, you can contact Women’s Aid (24-hour freephone helpline at 1800-341 900, email helpline@womensaid.ie) or Men’s Aid Ireland (confidential helpline at 01-554 3811, email hello@mensaid.ie) for support and information.
Safe Ireland also offers a number of local services and helplines at safeireland.ie/get-help/where-to-find-help/. In the case of an emergency, always dial 999/112.
