Man jailed for stabbing woman in Dundalk

A 41 year old man who stabbed a woman after she tried to protect his wife from being hit by him in their family home, was jailed for two years and nine months at Dundalk Circuit Court last week.

Younis Helal with an address at Castletown Road, Dundalk pleaded guilty to assault causing harm and production of a knife on the same date July 28th 2021.

The court was told the defendant had been involved in a dispute with his wife, who had sent pleas for help to her friend on Facebook Messenger.

Her friend, who had replied, advising her to run away, arrived at the house, where there was pushing and shoving.

The woman made her way out onto the street, where the defendant who pursued her, produced a knife during a scuffle and stabbed her in the back with it.

The woman's partner told gardai how Younis Helal had lunged at his wife and punched her body with his right fist and it was in response to this, that the woman had struck him to prevent him from causing his wife further harm.

Another witness told gardaí he had seen blood on the victim's back as she was running across the road from the house and she ended up huddled on the ground trying to kick the defendant away from her.

The court heard she pleaded with Younis Helal not to kill her.

He admitted stabbing the woman once and told gardai he had wanted to cut her face.

The knife was subsequently recovered from a drain and the woman received 13 stitches to two stab wounds.

The Defence barrister said his client, an Egyptian national, has lived in Ireland approximately 14 years and had worked until the time of his arrest.

The defendant had five previous convictions including unlawful possession of drugs, criminal damage and careless driving.

However, the counsel stressed that Mr Helal had a clean record until 2019, after his wife suffered serious injuries in a traffic collision and spent two years in hospital, which saw him become the primary carer for their children.

He began to take street tablets and became addicted to antidepressants but is now clean of all drugs.

Judge Dara Hayes imposed a three and a half year sentence backdated to the date of his arrest on the day of the stabbing and suspended the final nine months for a year, as an incentive for him and to encourage his return to the community in a peaceful manner, in particular in relation to whatever interaction he has with his wife.