A court has heard that a man in his 40s punched his wife and assaulted a garda – telling arresting officers “I’ll batter you all” – after drinking too much following a bereavement.
Tallaght District Court heard that the incident happened at around 7:30pm on 14 January 2024 at the home of the defendant.
The man admitted a Section 3 assault under the Non-Fatal Offences Against the Person Act, 1997, as well as two Section 19 public order offences for assaulting and obstructing gardaí.
Garda Gavin Cribbin told the court that the defendant returned home intoxicated on the evening in question and became “highly argumentative”.
He then started a row and threw an extension cable at his partner, which struck her on the eyebrow, before punching her three or four times in the face with a closed fist. Another man who was present in the house intervened and stopped the assault before gardaí arrived at around 7:45pm.
The victim was left with swelling to her right eyebrow and redness to her bottom lip.
“When I arrived at the scene I noted the injuries sustained by the injured party,” Garda Cribbin told the court. He said the defendant was “highly intoxicated” and while he tried to take details from the victim, the man “got up, stood in the alcove and obstructed me as I was trying to get into the kitchen”.
Garda Cribbin told the court the defendant then became aggressive, threatened to “bite off his nose,” and squared up to Garda James Hughes with clenched fists. He had to be forcibly removed by gardaí, during which he attempted to drag Garda Hughes to the ground, causing a serious head injury.
While resisting arrest, he told the officers: “I’ll batter you all”.
Prosecuting solicitor Tom Conlon asked Garda James Hughes to read his victim impact statement to the court. Garda Hughes told the court that he suffered a large laceration to the back of his head, blurred vision for two weeks and recurring headaches for two months. He told the court: “It’s part of the job – I expect it and it just comes with it”.
The court heard the man has 23 previous convictions, mostly for road traffic offences, with his last conviction in 2008. He has no history of assaulting gardaí and just one public order intoxication offence.
Defence counsel Michael Hennessey said his client had instructed him to apologise on his behalf “to the gardai involved, and to his wife in open court”.
“He does not say what happened was not serious. He is deeply ashamed,” counsel said, adding that his client has three children, had suffered a recent bereavement, and is on disability allowance while being treated for mental health issues. He has stopped drinking, as he blames alcohol for his behaviour on the night.
Judge Karen Dowling said the incident appeared to have been “as a result of drinking too much on the day,” noting the man had suffered a recent loss and that there were children to be considered.
She added there were aggravating factors, including the victim impact statement, which the court “does not take lightly”.
Judge Dowling adjourned the matter to 28 November for a probation and welfare report.