Man jailed for stabbing girlfriend with biro

A 49-year-old man who stabbed his girlfriend behind the ear with a biro, punched her to the floor, and kicked her unconscious, has been sentenced to four years in jail with the last 15 months suspended.

Mr Justice Paul Carney said the victim was in a very distressed state and had a large amount of physical injuries to her body following an attack which the accused carried out after drinking about 15 cans of beer in the course of the day.

The judge referred to evidence that he stabbed her phone with a knife so she could not contact anybody and then carried out the assault while the 43-year-old woman screamed for help.

The parties cannot be identified as he still faces the prospect of trial for raping the woman on the same night. He was sentenced at the Central Criminal Court sitting in Cork on a charge of assault causing harm.

Prosecution senior counsel Alice Fawsett told the judge that the maximum possible sentence was five years and the DPP was of the view that this particular assault was at the higher end of the scale.

The lawyer referred to a neighbour hearing screams from the darkened house.

A jury failed to reach a verdict a fortnight ago in the case against him for raping his partner at his home in Cork. Arising out of the circumstances of that particular night, the accused pleaded not guilty to rape but guilty to the assault causing harm.

Describing the physical assault during the trial, the injured party said: “He [the accused] went to the kitchen and got a knife. He stabbed my phone. He thought it was a boyfriend on the phone.

“He got the knife and kept stabbing the phone. He said no guard bitch will come. He came over with his fist and gave me a punch. He stabbed me in the back of the neck with a biro.

“He kicked me between the legs. I lost consciousness for a while.”

The couple met in a pub in Cork in March 2012 and started a relationship. The assault occurred at the man’s house in May 2012.

The victim of the assault said it had affected her life very badly.

“I have taken two overdoses since. It was horrific to be locked in the house afterwards.

“I wake up with nightmares. I have to take Diazepam. I cry nearly every night about why it happened. I don’t know why it was done to me. I am scarred for life over it,” she said.