2023-07-21 · Meath
Suspended sentence for weekly attacks on partner in 'appalling' coercive control case too lenient, court finds
In a case heard at Trim Circuit Court, James 'Jake' Boles, aged 24, received a wholly suspended two‑year sentence for one count of coercive control and five counts of assault causing harm to his partner, Jody Duggan, aged 22, between 1 January and 5 April 2019. The assaults included dragging her by the hair, slamming her head, and pushing his fist into her face, and were described as "appalling" coercive control. After a successful appeal by the State, the Court of Appeal, led by Mr Justice John Edwards, re‑sentenced Boles to one year in jail, citing the frequency and severity of the violence and the psychological harm inflicted. The court found the original fully suspended sentence to be too lenient and noted that the trial judge had erred in fully suspending the sentence. The appeal decision was based solely on the allegations and evidence presented in the original trial, without reference to any later developments or outcomes.