The Court of Appeal has increased a young man’s sentence for repeated assaults on his partner, finding that the original sentence was unduly lenient. It imposed a four-year sentence, credited time already spent in custody and suspended the remaining part until 19 September 2026, on the conditions set by the sentencing judge.
The Director of Public Prosecutions appealed the sentence imposed after the man pleaded guilty to eight counts of assault causing harm and one count of false imprisonment. The other offences on the indictment, including a threat to kill, production of a knife and criminal damage, were taken into consideration on a full-facts basis. The original concurrent sentences were two years and six months, with the final 12 months suspended. They were backdated to 19 September 2022.
The assaults took place on four dates between 19 July and 16 August 2022. The judgment described repeated violence, including punches, kicks, choking and threats. On 13 August, the man locked his partner in a bathroom for about 45 minutes while demanding her Snapchat password. She later escaped to a communal area, where she raised the alarm. On 16 August, after further assaults, she contacted Gardaí. The court said photographs of her injuries had been shown to both courts.
The sentencing judge had cited the repeated and escalating assaults as aggravating factors. In mitigation, the judge considered the man’s guilty pleas, lack of previous convictions, age and difficult childhood, among other personal circumstances. The judge imposed a custodial sentence but suspended its final year with probation supervision and other conditions.
On appeal, the Director argued that the sentencing judge had given insufficient weight to the violence, strangulation, false imprisonment and a probation report’s assessment that the man presented a high risk of reoffending in intimate relationships. The man’s counsel argued that the judge had considered the aggravating factors and that his progress under supervision supported rehabilitation.
The Court of Appeal said a five-year headline sentence would have been a more appropriate starting point. It had earlier announced that the original sentence was unduly lenient, then ordered an updated probation report before resentencing. The man failed to attend the first resentencing date, and the court issued a bench warrant. At later hearings, the court received evidence and reports describing his engagement with probation, the MOVE programme and drug treatment services.
In setting the sentence at four years, the court said it took account of his progress, time already served, continuing post-release supervision and the absence of further incidents involving his partner, as reported by Gardaí. The four-year term is deemed to run from 19 September 2022. The suspension conditions remain those imposed at first instance.