Six month jail term for man who assaulted partner "unduly lenient"

A man from Buncrana, County Donegal, has had his sentence for assault and false imprisonment declared unduly lenient by the Court of Appeal. Brian McLaughlin, aged 23, pleaded guilty to assaulting and falsely imprisoning his partner at their family home on 20 October 2013. He was sentenced to three years imprisonment with the final two and a half years suspended by Letterkenny Circuit Criminal Court in July 2015, resulting in an effective six-month custodial term. The Director of Public Prosecutions successfully sought a sentence review. Mr Justice Garrett Sheehan, delivering judgement, outlined the severity of the offences, including that McLaughlin had locked his partner inside their home, struck her repeatedly, and strangled her. While gardaí were outside the property, he armed himself with a kitchen knife and was sharpening knives. The court found the original sentence departed substantially from what was appropriate given the circumstances. A fresh sentencing hearing will be scheduled.