Louth man told partner during prolonged assault that she wouldn’t leave house alive
A 36-year-old man choked his partner during a series of assaults throughout the night, the circuit court has been told.
Richard Smyth told the woman that she wouldn’t leave the house alive in an incident which lasted several hours.
The defendant, of Drive 2, Muirhevnamór, Dundalk, was jailed for 12 months after he pleaded guilty to charges of making threats to kill and Section 2 assault.
Gda Eoin Conway said that the couple had been in a relationship for one year at the time, but things were not great between them.
On this occasion, the victim had put her daughter to bed in their Dundalk home. She had been drinking with the defendant.
It turned violent around 2am, the next morning, June 28, 2023. The woman didn’t remember how it started but until 9am there were a series of assaults.
She was thrown to the ground in one instance, while in another Mr Smyth had her against a wall with his hands around her throat. Each time she used her nails to get him off.
He would go from saying that he loved her to threatening and attacking her, remarking: “You’re not going to leave this house alive.”
The woman’s ex arrived around 8am to collect their daughter, but when he left the assaults continued.
The defendant said that he was going to kill her and everyone belonging to her.
Gda Conway said the front door of the house was ajar when he arrived. He saw bruising around the woman’s neck. She disclosed the assaults to him by her partner.
She was brought by ambulance to Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, while Richard Smyth was arrested and taken to Dundalk Garda Station.
There were scratches to his face and side of his head. He was unfit for interview for six hours due to intoxication.
When speaking to investigators, he said: “I must have strangled her. I can’t remember.”
He said that he couldn’t remember making threats and claimed that he got attacked and “I stood up for myself”.
The court heard that the victim did not want to engage with the investigation. No domestic incidents had been reported since. They have only recently parted company.
Mr Smyth has 21 previous convictions, none for violent offences.
His counsel said that he had been assessed at high risk of reoffending.
The defendant, unemployed and living with his mother, had apologised and was ashamed of the way he acted. He was drinking heavily at the time.
He is on medication and his grandfather, whom he was close to, had recently passed away.
Judge Dara Hayes said that this was a prolonged incident and serious offending. It was intimate partner violence, and male violence against a woman.
He noted from a report that there was “significant minimalisation” of the man’s behaviour.
Concurrent sentences of two years for making threats and four months for assault were imposed, the final 12 months suspended for 12 months.