Violent criminal who repeatedly punched pregnant partner has jail time doubled

A man with 86 previous convictions, including for domestic violence, has had his custodial sentence doubled following a Court of Appeal ruling. Jason Doyle (28) of Tower Hill, Ballymote, County Sligo, pleaded guilty to one count of assault causing harm against his then partner at their home on 10 January 2021. Sligo Circuit Criminal Court had imposed a two-year sentence with 15 months suspended. The State appealed on grounds of undue leniency. The victim sustained injuries including bleeding to the head, bruising to the jaw-line, and blows to the back of her head and body during the overnight incident. Justice Isobel Kennedy, delivering the Court of Appeal's judgment, found the lower court had erred in principle by applying an excessive mitigation discount. The court substituted a headline sentence of three years with nine months credited for the guilty plea and nine months suspended, resulting in an 18-month custodial term.