Jail for ‘brute’ over ‘cowardly’ unprovoked assault of woman in the Midlands
A woman has withdrawn socially following a ‘cowardly’ unprovoked assault by a ‘brute’ on the Main St in Portlaoise, Portlaoise Court was told last week.
Jason O’Brien, 32, of 7 Hillview Drive, Abbeyfeale, Limerick admitted assaulting the woman on Main St in Portlaoise on August 27, 2018.
Describing it as a nasty incident, Garda Sergeant JJ Kirby said at 10.10pm “this man came up and hit her a punch from behind and hit her into the eye.”
The injured party, Mary Maher said she hasn’t walked the Main St since the attack.
“I have had no social life. I don’t come up or down the Main Street. Socially I just withdrew completely. It is hard. My husband, he goes out once a week, I don’t go out,” she told the court.
“I have totally withdrawn and the anxiety before I go out, it is totally not worth it,” she said.
She explained that the man was unknown to her but approached her outside the courthouse on the night in question.
“Totally wild is the only way I could describe him. Shouting and roaring at me,” she said.
Mrs Maher said she hadn’t a clue who he was and told him to go away but was struck when she turned her back to him.
“With full fist I got it right to the side of the head and I didn’t see it coming,” she said. She told the court she has lived in Portlaoise all her life and had never before been assaulted.
“I have never met such aggression and violence, it is horrendous,” she told the court.
She now doesn’t go near Main Street and said on the five or so occasions she has been out she will always have a taxi waiting before going home, she explained.
Judge Andrew Cody told the woman she, like everyone else in Portlaoise, was entitled to a night out without any trouble.
Sgt Kirby, who said the defendant has 80 previous convictions and is currently in prison, was due for release in 2023.
Solicitor Philip Meagher said his client wished to express “his absolute regret and horror and apologise to Mrs Maher for the trauma and attack visited on her.”
“He hopes that she accepts the sincerity of that apology,” he remarked.
Mr Meagher said at the time of the incident the defendant’s partner had just lost a child during pregnancy and he began drinking and using drugs.
“He would say that he had very little recollection of what happened,” Mr Meagher told the court.
Mr Meagher said his client believed one of the men with Mrs Maher on the night had said something to him but he fully accepts what she has said in evidence. He said the man is in Cloverhill Prison where he is getting treatment for drug and alcohol issues and is doing a barbers course. He is due for release on April 18 this year.
“He isn’t in a position to offer anything other than an apology to Mrs Maher,” he said.
Judge Cody said it was unfortunate that a six month prison sentence was all that applied for the offence as “this brute deserves more”.
“This is a shocking, cowardly, unprovoked attack by a brute with 80 previous convictions on a decent woman,” said Judge Cody.
Although the maximum sentence allowed was six months, Judge Cody said he had no choice but to give some credit for an early plea. He sentenced the man to five months in prison with the sentence to begin at the end of the sentence he is currently serving. He fixed recognisance in case of appeal.
"Mrs Maher, thank you for coming to court,” said Judge Cody.
“You are entitled to go on a night out like every man and woman in this town,” he added.