Woman, 35, viciously assaulted by ex-partner sues him for damages
CCTV footage shows Jessica Bowes begging for her life
He was lying in wait for her ‘Like a hunter assaulting each one’
A 35-YEAR-OLD woman, who begged for her life as she was punched and kicked by her former partner in a vicious attack, has sued him for damages.
The High Court was shown CCTV footage of Jessica Bowes, of Grangeview Way, Clondalkin, Dublin, being brutally assaulted by Jonathan McSherry, who lay in wait for her outside her house on December 20, 2015.
The court heard he had breached a barring order, which should have kept him away from Ms Bowes, a patient liaison officer at St James’s Hospital. The ex-soldier, turned second-hand car dealer, has previously pleaded guilty to the assault in the criminal courts.
In December 2016, McSherry was given a three-and-a-half year prison sentence with the final year suspended for assaulting Ms Bowes and for breaching the barring order, while intoxicated.
He was said then to be deeply remorseful for his actions, and his counsel repeated that sentiment yesterday.
Ms Bowes’ counsel Patricia Dillon SC told the High Court that her client had suffered serious physical and psychological injuries, but that she did not want the attack to define her life. She said: ‘She has done her best to put it behind her, and get on with her life.’
Ms Dillon added that there was no dispute between the sides as to what happened.
The High Court heard the couple had been together for five years, and had two children together. Ms Bowes claimed that McSherry had been ‘lying in wait’ for her after she returned home from a Christmas party with friends at around 4.30am. She said he jumped on the car in which she was a passenger, punching the windscreen until it smashed.
The court was told that McSherry attacked the two men in the car, who ran off as he turned his attention to Ms Bowes and a woman friend she was with.
She told how after she got out of the car, he repeatedly punched her until she fell to the ground, where he kicked her several times and dragged her along the ground, continuing to kick and punch her.
She lost consciousness, but recovered to hear her friend’s shouts as she was kicked in the back. Ms Bowes said she pleaded with McSherry to leave her friend alone. ‘He ran and he kicked me in the face. I fell backwards. I said, “Please don’t hurt me”. He kept punching me and standing on my face. He just kept going.’
She said he was ‘like a hunter’, assaulting each woman as they tried to get away. She said she lost consciousness again, but came round as he ran after her friend. Ms Bowes said she crawled to a neighbour’s house and banged on the door. ‘I said, “He’s coming back”. He was calling out, “Jess, where are you?”. I said, “He’s going to kill me”... The door opened and I just crawled between my neighbour’s legs.’
She said her neighbour refused to let McSherry in, and that he ran when he heard a siren. He was arrested by gardaí two hours later. The court heard that Ms Bowes suffered multiple fractures to her skull and face, including both her eye sockets and her nose.
She required constructive surgery to her face, including a metal plate in her face, and her memory had been impaired by the assault.
Ms Bowes said she now felt overprotective of her three children, and was in a constant state of anxiety. She suffers nightmares and a sensation of being paralysed by fear. She said her biggest fear since his release from prison, having served 22 months, was that he could attack her again.
‘There’s always that fear that he knows where to find me,’ she said. ‘I worry about what he’s going to do next, I suppose.’
Ms Bowes said she now advocated for zero tolerance in the breaching of barring orders, ‘so we get help when we need it, before things get out of hand’.
She said she had contacted the gardaí repeatedly when she had been assaulted by McSherry on previous occasions, and alleged that they had not done enough to help. She said a barring order was finally granted after McSherry punched her in front of her children.
McSherry is challenging the extent of her physical and psychological injuries. During cross examination, it was suggested that she had shown courage, confidence and esteem in her activism for victims of domestic violence.
Ms Dillon said to McSherry: ‘You broke nearly every bone in Ms Bowes’ face that night. You kicked her repeatedly while she was on the ground and struck her with your closed fist on a number of occasions.’
He replied: ‘I did, yeah. All the stuff that was on the video, I did do.’
When asked if there would be a repeat of this violence, McSherry said he now attended an anti-violence programme, adding: ‘I have made changes in my life.
‘I am a Christian now. I attend church... I want to look forward in my life. I wish Ms Bowes the best of luck in her life.’
He said he relied on social welfare, and could not get a job because he was constantly ‘in the eye of the media’.
He said he had two houses, but was in mortgage arrears.
Judge O’Hanlon said she would reserve her judgment.