Man with history of assaulting women has prison sentence doubled three days before release date

A man with a documented history of assaulting women has had his prison sentence doubled by the Court of Appeal in Cavan, just three days before his scheduled release. Aaron Heffernan, aged 39 and residing in Cavan town, had pleaded guilty at Cavan Circuit Criminal Court to two counts of assault causing harm to his partner in October 2016. He was originally sentenced to two concurrent two-year terms in August 2017. The Court of Appeal found the original sentence unduly lenient and re-sentenced Heffernan to two consecutive two-year terms, resulting in a net four-year sentence. Mr Justice George Birmingham noted Heffernan's previous convictions for similar assaults involving other women and described a pattern of violence. The judge acknowledged the injured party's request for leniency but determined the gravity of the offending behaviour warranted the increased sentence. The new sentence was backdated to the original sentencing date.