A man who attempted to strangle a woman and covered her mouth and nose with a curtain in her County Donegal home will be sentenced next week.
The man appeared before Judge Roderick Maguire at Letterkenny Circuit Court.
The accused, who is in his mid-30s and has 65 previous convictions, cannot be named for legal reasons to protect the identity of the victim in the case.
The defendant, who is in custody and has been for most of the time since his arrest for the incident last October, previously pleaded guilty to a charge of assault causing harm.
He was also charged with false imprisonment, non-fatal strangulation, assault and an assault causing harm count – all against the same victim. These charges were marked as taken into consideration.
The man, who is in his mid-30s and has 65 previous convictions, cannot be named for legal reasons to protect the identity of the victim in the case.
The court was told that the guilty plea was accepted by the State on a full facts basis. The plea was entered on a trial date earlier this summer.
Sergeant Maurice Doyle of Letterkenny Garda Station outlined the case to Ms Fiona Crawford BL, barrister for the State.
Sergeant Doyle told how Gardai attended the scene on October 26, 2024 and a woman outlined that she was out with the man and her father earlier in the night.
She told Gardai that the man shouted at her, called her names and made allegations to her.
The defendant grabbed her by the back of the head, trailed her into a bedroom and threw her onto a bed. As the woman fell, she grabbed a curtain and it fell on top of her.
The man jumped on her, placed his two hands on her throat. He took one hand off, reached for a curtain and put it over the woman’s mouth and nose.
“She couldn’t breathe,” Sergeant Doyle said, adding that the man started to punch her on the face. While she attempted to bang on a window, the man kicked her on the back and stood on her legs.
As she tried to make an escape, the man again pulled her back and trailed her by the hair. He was also said to have punched her on the ribs and stomach.
Later on, he trailed her across the garden outside the house before a neighbour attempted to intervene.
The victim attended the emergency department at Letterkenny University Hospital after being taken by ambulance. The woman did not stay in the ED so there was no physical examination.
Sergeant Doyle said the woman is living outside this jurisdiction and it is “very difficult to get in contact with her”. He said the woman did not wish to make a victim impact statement or give evidence in the case.
Sergeant Doyle said the accused man was compliant following his arrest.
Mr Damien Crawford BL, barrister for the defendant, instructed by solicitor Mr Patsy Gallagher, said his client and the woman were residing at a property. When he was granted bail, that was subsequently revoked as he was spotted near to where the woman was living. Mr Crawford said the pair were living together as a couple.
Asked by Mr Crawford if it was fair to say that they have “fully reconciled,” Sergeant Doyle said: “That would be fair, yes”.
Ms Crawford said that under section 40 of the Domestic Violence Act, 2018, a relationship between a defendant and a victim would be an aggravating factor in sentencing.
A letter from the accused man was handed into Judge Maguire.
Mr Crawford told the court that his client has “had a difficult life”. He said the man had gained employment prior to his incarceration and had taught himself to write.
He said the man has little or no memory of the incident in question.
“He is puzzled as to why he was intoxicated to the extent that he was,” Mr Crawford said. “He is hugely remorseful and deeply apologetic.
“The results have been very catastrophic for him.”
Mr Crawford said the man has been in custody for a “solid eight months” now. He said his client considered the woman to “be his wife” and he has been very anxious to make amends.
“He is cognisant that his record isn’t good,” Mr Crawford said. “He has proffered a plea at the earliest opportunity.
“He is anxious to re-assemble his family and get his life back together. They are choosing a path together and he wants a chance to reconstruct.
“He feels very ashamed that he got into an episode like this.”
Judge Maguire adjourned the matter until July 23 for judgement.