Man (38) jailed for strangling his partner in her front garden

Natasha Reid

A Dubliner caught by gardaí strangling his partner in broad daylight in her front garden has been sentenced to three years in prison.

Daniel O’Neill (38), with an address at Cromlech Court, Poppintree in Ballymun, was before Dublin Circuit Criminal Court on Thursday, where he pleaded guilty to assaulting the woman, causing her harm, on June 5th 2023.

His obstruction of the arresting garda at the scene on Sandyhill Gardens, Ballymun, was taken into consideration in sentencing.

Garda Thomas Conneely testified that he got a call about a domestic incident at the injured party’s home at Sandyhill Gardens shortly after 7 o’clock that evening.

He found the accused ‘strangling’ her outside her home.

“She was on her knees, and he had his hands around her neck,” he recalled. “She had blood all along her face. He was topless and appeared to have defence wounds over his chest.”

Gda Conneely said that O’Neill released the woman when he ordered him to, but resisted arrest.

“I went into the house. It was in disarray. There was blood all over the floor,” he explained.

O’Neill’s victim had a laceration on her forehead and was taken by ambulance to the hospital, where she received sutures. The woman, who was in court, now has a scar from the laceration.

The court heard that they were in their mid 30s at the time and were in a toxic relationship, in which intoxicants featured. Both parties had their own difficulties, and she is currently homeless.

She told gardaí that she’d come home at 6.30 pm and found O’Neill in her kitchen. He pushed her down onto black bags of rubbish on the floor and started choking her.

When he let go, she tried to crawl away, but he pushed her back down and swung a shopping bag filled with glass bottles at her face, causing the laceration to her forehead.

She crawled outside, leaving a trail of blood. However, he followed her and began choking her again until Gda Conneely intervened.

The woman told gardaí that he was on bail for a previous assault on her and in breach of his bail conditions to stay away from her and that address.

The court heard that, after she was released from the hospital, she went to a refuge instead of going back to her home.

O’Neill had 27 previous convictions, including for assault causing harm, robbery, burglary and theft.

He received a four-month sentence for his previous assault on the woman and is currently serving a four-year sentence with two suspended for the other two assaults, with a release date in December next.

Aideen Collard, prosecuting, told Judge Orla Crowe that the offences in this case occurred before there was a change in the law at the end of 2023 to double the maximum sentence for assault causing harm from five to 10 years.

Gda Conneely agreed with Joe Mulrean, defending, that the victim was also known to the gardaí.

Mulrean said that his client’s offending had started around the time their on/off relationship had begun.

He handed in a letter of apology and said that O’Neill was deeply remorseful.

He had grown up in Ballymun, both of his parents were alcoholics, and one of his siblings had died aged 15.

He went to work with his father in construction after his Junior Cert, and had worked until the last few years.

“Three years ago, he got into a relationship with the victim and found his life falling into chaos,” said counsel. “As a result of the relationship, he began consuming hard intoxicants. They had a very bad effect on him. He became addicted to tablets.”

He said that O'Neill had then fallen out with his father, who asked him to leave the house. Homelessness and offending followed, he said.

“The general gist of this is pointing the finger at the injured party,” remarked Judge Crowe.

Counsel said that was not his wish.

“It’s drugs,” he said. “He feels he’s wasted his life. His Dad got sick, beat cancer, but died suddenly in 2024. He blames himself for going through this when his father was sick and not being there for him. He’s ashamed.”

Letters were handed in from members of his community, where counsel said he was valued and had lived a full life as a contributing member of society until he became involved in drugs.

Judge Crowe said there were shocking elements to this case, with Gardaí coming upon a man strangling his partner, whom he had previously attacked in her home.

“He’s a person with a violent history,” she said. “She, as a result of this, had to go to a refuge.”

She sentenced him to three years in prison, suspending the final three months for two years. She ordered that he have no contact with the injured party from now until two years after his release from custody.

If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this article, you can contact Women’s Aid (24-hour freephone helpline at 1800-341 900, email helpline@womensaid.ie) or Men’s Aid Ireland (confidential helpline at 01-554 3811, email hello@mensaid.ie) for support and information.

Safe Ireland also offers a number of local services and helplines at safeireland.ie/get-help/where-to-find-help/. In the case of an emergency, always dial 999/112.