Man (34) jailed for beating woman and stabbing man in front of her children

David Raleigh

A man who admitted breaking into a woman’s home, beating her in front of her young children and stabbing her boyfriend has been jailed for six years.

Stephen Power (34), who had prior convictions including for arson, possession of knives, possession of drugs for sale or supply, burglary, theft, and criminal damage, was sentenced by Judge Colin Daly at Limerick Circuit Criminal Court.

Power, with an address at The Path, Garryowen, Limerick, broke into the woman’s home at Galbally, Co Limerick, in the early hours of Christmas Eve, December 24th, 2024.

Prosecuting barrister, Lily Buckley, instructed by County Limerick State Solicitor, Brendan Gill, assisted on facts by Garda Denis O’Connor, said the woman and her two young children, and her boyfriend, were getting ready for bed when Power and others appeared at her front door trying to kick in the door.

Armed with a knife, Power gained entry to the house and stabbed the woman’s boyfriend twice in his back as the man tried to protect his partner and her two young children.

The injured man “pulled the knife out of his own back”, and one of the children, aged 11, ran from the house to raise the alarm with neighbours, said Buckley.

The boy suffered severe trauma after he witnessed the knife attack on the man and assault on his mother, the court heard.

The boy ran barefoot to a neighbouring property, told investigating gardaí that he thought Power “was going to catch me”.

The boy told gardaí he had seen his mother being dragged out of the house and assaulted.

“He expressed concern that his mother had been killed”, said Buckley.

Power and others continued to attack the woman outside her house.

The woman told gardaí afterwards that Power “beat the s**t out of me” and that he and the other persons at the scene “behaved like animals”.

Power also slashed tyres on the woman’s car outside her home on the same night; he also damaged a doorbell camera at the woman’s house in an attempt to destroy video evidence of the attack.

The woman’s boyfriend told gardaí he felt “two sharp pains” in his back when Power stabbed him.

“He was losing blood and getting weaker, his clothes were blood-soaked, and there was quite a bit of blood on walls at the scene,” said Buckley.

Previously in court, Power smiled when evidence of the violent attack was being described by Buckley.

The court heard the attack may have been sparked by tensions between the injured mother and another woman.

The court heard there was no video footage available from the doorbell camera, gardaí retrieved some video footage which had been recorded on a mobile phone, it was heard.

The injured woman’s boyfriend was treated in hospital for two stab wounds, requiring surgery, but he had made a full recovery.

Gardaí recovered a knife and a broken blade at the scene and arrested Power the morning after the attack.

Power initially denied having anything to do with the attack. He was charged with assault causing harm to the woman, assault causing harm to the woman’s boyfriend, criminal damage and aggravated burglary.

Eventually, Power pleaded guilty to one count of assault causing harm to the woman’s boyfriend, on a full facts basis, meaning he accepted all of the evidence presented by the prosecution in court.

The injured parties chose not to write victim impact statements.

Power’s own barrister, senior counsel Mark Nicholas, described the attack was “disgraceful”, “disturbing”, “unacceptable” and “deplorable”.

Nicholas had previously asked Judge Daly to be as lenient as he could when passing sentence. Nicholas argued that Power was a “serious drug addict” and that the attack was “in keeping with his chaotic and addictive lifestyle” at the time.

Nicholas argued that Power’s addictions were “not an excuse”, but that they may have explained his behaviour on the night in “recognising the horror he was part of”.

Daly said it was “especially egregious” that the attack took place during Christmas in front of children in their home.

“The memo of the specialist garda interview with the child makes for grim reading,” said the judge.

Power was sentenced to six years and nine months in prison, with the final nine months suspended.