Donegal man jailed for assaulting his mother
The woman informed gardai that she had been assaulted by her son, who she said hit her on the cheek and 'threw her around the room'
A Donegal man has been jailed following a serious assault on his elderly mother.
The man, who is in his 40s, appeared before Letterkenny District Court this week.
The accused was brought to court from Castlrea Prison, where he has been in custody since January.
The court heard that gardai received a report of an assault4 at 8.48pm on January 18 last. A garda witness outlined how he entered the residence and discovered the injured party, who was described as being “very distraught”.
She had a cut to her cheek and had a lot of blood around her face. She informed gardai that she had been assaulted by her son, who she said hit her on the cheek and “threw her around the room”. The woman said she was hit a number of times.
The man, who has 34 previous convictions, was arrested and denied the charges in two interviews.
Photographs of the injuries sustained by the woman were handed into the court.
Mr Frank Dorrian, solicitor for the accused man, said that his client’s incarceration in January “probably saved his life”. He said the man was in an “appalling state when he arrived in court” on a previous occasion and said he has been abstinent during his time in prison.
“The prison system is helping him,” Mr Dorrian said. “He is now a much more capable gentleman than he previously was.”
Mr Dorrian said the man intends to avail of Alcoholics Anonymous services in prison.
He told the court that there is a “relatively chaotic household” and an argument developed over a bottle of vodka.
“It is not acceptable on any level to raise his hands to his mother and he acknowledges that in the cold light of day,” Mr Dorrian said. He told the court that his client had lived in often squalid conditions in a derelict property with no light or water.
Mr Dorrian said: “He instructs me to tender an apology and he is thoroughly ashamed to have offended his mother in this way. He only has himself to blame. His circumstances are as dire as I have heard.”
The victim took to the witness box and outlined that she loved her son but could not have him back at her property. The woman described the situation as being “awful”.
Judge Éiteáin Cunningham said it was quite clear that the woman dearly loves her son, but it was also clear that she cannot continue to be subjected to this type of scenario.
Judge Cunningham said it was concerning to the court that the accused man has quite a number of very relevant previous convictions for assault.
She said it was obvious that alcohol dependency was at the root of the issues and it was important that the man fully engage in services.
Deeming the matter to be at the upper end of the jurisdiction of the District Court, Judge Cunningham convicted the man and sentenced him to nine months in prison, backdating the sentence to when he entered custody in January.
Judge Cunningham stressed the importance of the man engaging with the help and services that are available and told him that he cannot go back to his mother’s address upon his release from prison,
“I understand,” the man replied.