Man pleads guilty to assaulting partner
A man who pleaded guilty to assaulting his former partner is offering her €10,000 in compensation. The case was adjourned until April in order for the woman to decide whether she will accept the compensation or not.
At Sligo District Court on Thursday, Judge Kevin Kilrane said that Peter Lynch (47) of Woodstream, Coolaney will receive a significant punishment for what he did to his former partner, Louise Dunleavy who was in court to give evidence.
Judge Kilrane told Ms Dunleavy that Mr Lynch is not escaping a conviction from the court.
It was decided that an adjournment was necessary to give Ms Dunleavy time to consider she will accept the €10,000 in compensation or not.
Judge Kilrane told her that he was putting back the case until April 19 th and advised her to seek legal advice on the matter.
He added: “I will remand until April 19 th for you to decide whether you want to take the compensation or not, you have to decide which road to go.
“He will receive a significant punishment for what he did to you and is not escaping a conviction from this court, “the judge said.
Earlier, defending solicitor Mr Tom MacSharry said that his client was pleading guilty as he didn’t want to cause Ms Dunleavy anymore distress by coming to court and burdening her with cross-examination.
“There is a plea in relation to the matters,” he said.
Mr MacSharry told the court Mr Lynch and Ms Dunleavy had been in a relationship for two and a half years.
“Unfortunately there were assaults and despite certain factual issues he has instructed me to plead guilty. He is very apologetic,” Mr MacSharry said.
Inspector Paul Kilcoyne told the court that the allegations related to three separate dates, the first of which on October 16 th 2016 and he asked Ms Dunleavy to outline what occurred on that date. She told the court she was visiting her sister and her brother was down visiting too. They were reminiscing and socialising and she came back to the house she was living in with Mr Lynch at 12am. “He was sitting down watching tv and drinking. I could see from the look on his face that he was angry. I sat down on the couch and there was an evil look on his face. He hit me with a closed fist and starting punching me in my stomach. I fell to the floor and he started kicking me in my ribs and legs and punching me in the eyes and my jaw and kept on repeatedly kicking me. I could hear something crack and it went on an awful long time,” she said.
On February 11 th 2017 she told the court that they were away in Dublin staying in the Haddington Hotel and went out for a few drinks and when they went back to the hotel an argument began.
“One thing led to another and he pushed me onto the bed. He had his hands on my throat and was trying to choke me.
“I could feel the life draining out of me,” Ms Dunleavy said. Inspector Kilcoyne asked was there any aggravating factors and she said they were supposed to go somewhere else and indicated Mr Lynch was annoyed over that.
On another occasion, February 19 th 2017 she said she came home around 3am from a night out with her sister and her partner. She said she went into the kitchen to get a glass of water and then heard Mr Lynch running down the stairs. She said he was carrying a black lumphammer and said something very rude to her. “He hit me with the lumphammer on my arms, legs, everywhere. I kept saying please stop.” Inspector Kilcoyne showed photographs of her injuries from that night to the judge. He asked in respect of the three incidents is she ever sought medical help. Ms Dunleavy said just after the lumphammer incident as she was too embarrassed and ashamed over the other ones. “He broke me, physically and emotionally. He knows I’m shy and sensitive and he took advantage of that.
“I’m trying to rebuild my life with my daughter,” she added. Inspector Kilcoyne asked her if she has recovered. Ms Dunleavy said: “Physically yes but the scars are still there emotionally..”
Mr MacSharry said he could understand that Ms Dunleavy was quite upset in court. He said that his instructions from his client regarding the first incident was that he hadn’t been drinking and he said Ms Dunleavy came in quite intoxicated and had fallen and broken a tv. Ms Dunleavy said this was not true and that Mr Lynch had pushed her against it.
On February 11 th 2017, his client said they were both very intoxicated and the fight started because Ms Dunleavy had taken his phone and thrown it out the hotel window and broken it. He showed an invoice from a phone that was purchased in court the following day. Ms Dunleavy said she was looking through his phone at the numbers he was looking at for escort sites when the phone fell out of her hand.
Mr MacSharry asked why she stayed the following night in the hotel and she replied because she had nowhere else to go as Mr Lynch had the tickets. Mr MacSharry said that his instructions were on the last assault that during the argument Ms Dunleavy had bitten Mr Lynch and she said it was self defence. He added that his client said he doesn’t have a lumphammer but Ms Dunleavy alleged he went to attack her daughter’s partner with it the following day. Inspector Kilcoyne said the issue regarding the lumphammer was corroborated by other people. Mr Lynch had no previous convictions.
Mr MacSharry handed in a letter of apology to the court along with a medical report and a reference from his employer. He said he was a 47-yearold man and a father of one child. He had never been in court before. “He has an excellent work record and is deeply sorry for the hurt caused. He is genuinely remorseful. Ms Dunleavy has nothing to fear in the future.
“He has engaged with his GP and is committed to a programme of counselling for anger management. He will lose his job if there is a conviction. He has already lost a certain standing in society,” Mr MacSharry said.
He told the court that his client had brought compensation to court if it was to be accepted.
Inspector Kilcoyne asked the judge if it was possible to give some time for her to consider it.