Man sentenced for assault offences at Dundalk District Court
The defendant had 223 previous convictions
A 37-year-old man who punched his ex partner during one of three separate domestic violence incidents at her home, was sentenced to 10 months at Dundalk District Court last week.
Thomas Maguire of Woodland Park, Dundalk subsequently had a previous case re-entered before Dundalk Circuit Court, as the offending occurred while he was under the suspended portion of a sentence for seriously assaulting the same victim.
The defendant had pleaded guilty in the district court in May to three Section 2 assaults under the Non Fatal Offences Against the Person Act, at an address in Dundalk on January 4th and 5th last.
The woman had told gardaí who responded to reports of domestic violence, that the defendant had assaulted her twice in her home on the first date and on the second he had punched her to the eye. No lasting injuries were reported.
The defendant had 223 previous convictions including 12 for assault and making a threat to kill or cause serious harm.
The case was then adjourned for a pre-sentence report by the Probation Service.
Last Friday, at Dundalk Circuit Court, where the previous case was re-entered Judge Dara Hayes noted that Judge Grainne Malone had imposed a 10 month sentence earlier in the week.
The court heard the defendant had been sentenced to four years and three months with the final 12 months suspended for assault causing harm on the same person on May 12th 2023.
Judge Hayes noted that the sentence had been imposed in October 2024 and was backdated, and Mr Maguire had a release date around October last year.
He said the court had been told the defendant had a relapse over Christmas and while he acknowledged that may have contributed to his offending, he had within 10 weeks of his release assaulted the same victim on a further two occasions.
He activated the 12 month suspended sentence, and suspended the final three months on him placing himself under the supervision of the Probation Service for two years post release and on condition that he has no contact directly or indirectly with the victim.