Suspended sentence for man who attacked his wife in their home on New Year's Day
Waterford Courthouse.
A man has been given a suspended sentence for an attack on his wife in their home.
The man, who was in his 40s and required the aid of an interpreter, was before Waterford District Court on one charge of assault causing harm to his wife in their home on January 1, 2025.
The arresting garda told the court that they received a report on January 6, 2025, from the injured party that she had been assaulted by her husband.
She said he had grabbed her by the throat and had thrown her on the couch.
Gardai arrested the man and took pictures of the injured party’s injuries, which were provided to the court.
The man had no previous convictions.
The solicitor for the defendant said that this was an isolated incident from a man with no history of domestic violence.
The solicitor said their client pleaded guilty and accepted responsibility for the incident.
The solicitor said the man was of “otherwise good character” and was under a lot of stress at the time.
He had since left the family home and had followed all of the court's instructions.
The court was also told that the couple had since reconciled.
The injured party was temporarily out of the jurisdiction at the time of the sentencing and did not wish to provide a victim impact statement.
Judge Kevin Staunton said their reconciliation was “encouraging,” but the pictures before him were not and were “somewhat concerning.”
The judge sentenced the man to four months in prison but suspended it for 12 months on the condition that he attend the MEND domestic violence programme and follow all of the instructions of the probation service.
“Clearly, if there is a repeat of this behaviour, he will serve a custodial sentence,” said Judge Staunton.
