Lounes Ouachek sentenced for attempted murder of wife

This report is a localnews.ie summary based on public court reporting and records; sources are listed below.

Lounes Ouachek received a prison sentence of 15 years, with three suspended, for attempting to murder his wife and was ordered to undergo 18 months of post-release supervision. Mr Justice Paul Carney imposed the sentence at the Central Criminal Court and ordered him to keep away from his wife.

Ouachek pleaded guilty to attempted murder. He attacked Ruta Ouachek at their home in St Dominic’s Terrace, Tallaght, on 23 August 2012. The proceedings were reported on 21 July 2014.

The sentence was backdated to 14 February 2013 to account for time in custody.

Ms Ouachek described her husband striking both sides of her head with a kettle bell. The court heard that he drove her car to Dublin airport and travelled through Paris to Tunisia. A neighbour alerted gardaí, and she was discovered eight or nine hours after the attack.

Following his arrest in Germany on 19 February 2013, Ouachek was extradited to Ireland the following month. When charged, he told gardaí that he had not intended the attack and described it as an accident.

The report described skull and jaw fractures requiring hospital treatment and surgery. During defence cross-examination, Peter Duff acknowledged that Ms Ouachek could walk, talk and continue her education, while also confirming scarring, head damage and dribbling from her mouth. She continued to experience physical and psychological effects, including post-traumatic stress disorder.

In mitigation, the judge considered Ouachek’s guilty plea, lack of previous convictions and position as a foreign national. A letter presented to the court said he had received compensation following a workplace accident and directed his solicitor to give his wife €12,000.