Waterford man jailed for attacks on women
Waterford Courthouse
A Waterford man has been imprisoned for vicious attacks on multiple women.
Daniel Fraher (28) of 3 The Beeches, Dungarvan, was sentenced to four years at Waterford Circuit Court by Judge Eugene O'Kelly.
He carried out a series of violent assaults on three women across three dates between late 2022 and early 2023.
On November 10, 2022, Fraher attacked a woman in Wetherspoons Bar, Arundel Square, Waterford City.
CCTV footage captured him picking up a bar stool and hitting the woman on the head with the chair. He attempted to strangle her and made a threat to kill her. He also pushed a screwdriver into the palm of her hand. Fraher was in a relationship with the victim of the assault, at the time. Gardaí were called and arrested Fraher at Clonard Park.
On April 17, 2023, he attacked a woman at his home in Dungarvan.
The victim, who was in a relationship with Fraher at the time, awoke in his bed to find him punching and hitting her with a bar.
The victim also suffered bite-marks to her body
Three days later, on April 20, Fraher attacked a social care worker with a bottle.
The woman was visiting an address in Dungarvan to care for a child who lived at the premises.
Fraher was at the house as he was an acquaintance of the child's parents.
At this house, Fraher struck the woman on the side of her head with a glass bottle.
Fraher also stole the victim's phone.
The judge heard the attack had severely altered the woman's life and gravely impacted her role as a care-worker, mother, and wife.
She wrote in her victim impact state: "My capacity to lead a happy family life has been lost. I'm closed-off, I'm angry, I'm tired, I've nothing left to give."
Legal counsel, Garreth Hayden BL, told the Court that Fraher had 45 previous convictions, many of which involved assault and threats to kill.
The Court heard Fraher had come from a 'difficult background' and had witnessed the abuse of his mother.
Speaking at his sentencing, Judge O'Kelly stated: "It is unfortunate that a man has spent a lot of his life in prison; its just a revolving door of coming in and out."
"He's got to face reality that if he comes out and reoffends, he is going straight back in," said the judge.
Fraher will be subject to probation supervision for one year post his release. He has also been ordered to attend the MEND (Men Ending Domestic Abuse) program.
