A choose has described a father’s actions as ‘really despicable’ after he punched his spouse and killed their pet in entrance of his kids.
Dublin Circuit Prison Courtroom heard that Michael Connors, 27, arrived house on April 9, 2020, after being out ingesting.
He introduced the household’s new 12-week-old pet for a stroll and, on returning house, put the pet in a chilly bathtub of water. The pet was distressed, and Connors’s spouse pleaded with him to cease.
Connors then picked up the pet and threw the canine on the ground with drive in entrance of his three young children and spouse.
Detective Garda Garry White advised Fiona McGowan, BL, prosecuting, that Connors’s spouse and youngsters left and went to a neighbour’s home. She returned a short while later and was punched by Connors. He demanded cash from her, and he or she gave him €10. He knew she had a €50 be aware and demanded it.
The court docket heard that Connors, of Lambda Flats, Monkstown Farm, Co. Dublin, locked his spouse and youngsters in the home and went to the store. His spouse notified her neighbour, and the gardaí have been known as. When the gardaí arrived on the scene, Connors advised them he had been ingesting and ‘might need given her a slap’. The canine died, and a vet acknowledged that head trauma was the trigger. On a separate event, Connors and his spouse have been on the house of one among his relations.
Connors received offended when his spouse provided to make sandwiches for folks aside from him. As soon as everybody had gone to mattress, he punched her twice, smashed her cell phone and threw a scooter at her. Gardaí have been known as, and Connors was detained and interviewed.
The court docket heard that the accused has two earlier convictions. He’s a father of three younger kids, two of whom are non-verbal and one with Down syndrome. Connors pleaded responsible to 2 counts of assault towards his spouse, one depend of prison harm and one depend of animal cruelty.
Fiona Pekarr, BL, defending, stated her consumer wished to apologise for his actions. She stated he’s fully repentant and desires higher for his kids. His spouse declined to make a sufferer influence assertion and as a substitute handed a letter into court docket. The court docket heard her eldest youngster wants lots of care, and that she’s been taking care of their three kids since Connors went into custody in March 2022.
The court docket heard that Connors comes from a troubled background the place he was deserted by his dad and mom and delivered to Eire by his aunt.
Choose Orla Crowe stated the accused ‘was within the presence of their tiny kids when he killed their 12-week-old pet and that a part of his offending was dedicated whereas he was on bail’. She stated he assaulted his spouse and the mom of his kids in entrance of their kids, as she outlined aggravating components within the case. The choose stated it was ‘really despicable behaviour’.
For assaulting his spouse and animal cruelty, she sentenced him to 18 months on every depend, to run consecutively. For prison harm and an additional assault, she sentenced him to 18 months on each counts, backdated to when he went into custody in March. She suspended the rest of the time period beneath strict circumstances.
