Man jailed for 'savage' golf club attack on former partner

Tom Tuite

An Athlone man who launched a "savage" golf club attack on his former partner has been sentenced to five years and three months in prison.

The beating drove the terrified woman to flee the country, but she was able to watch via video link as Mark Conway, 39, was sentenced by Judge Keenan Johnson.

The father of two, with an address at Marine View, Athlone, Co Westmeath, pleaded guilty to assault causing harm to Kirsty Fitzpatrick, age 27, on February 16th, 2024, at his home address.

Mullingar Circuit Criminal Court heard she was repeatedly kicked and punched before Conway began delivering full-force blows with a golf club.

Judge Keenan Johnson described Conway as having "Jekyll and Hyde characteristics, passive when sober, and when he is drunk, he is a menace, violent and a thug."

Dressed in a grey tracksuit, he sat silently, showing no emotion, as his case was finalised.

Ms Fitzpatrick thanked the judge at the end.

He had imposed a six-year prison term, suspending the final nine months for five years, with post-release probation supervision and a range of conditions.

The sentence was backdated to last March when Conway was remanded in custody.

Earlier, the judge had also found that Conway's late-stage expression of remorse "rings rather hollow" and criticised him for his audacity in accusing Ms Fitzpatrick of lying.

The distraught victim, who the court heard was "battered all over her body", had delivered a harrowing impact statement.

In evidence, Garda Sheila Fitzgerald stated that she responded to an alert and went to Conway's home, where she found the woman "visibly shaken". She revealed to the garda that Conway had assaulted her with a golf club and used a wooden floorboard.

They had lived on and off at the house where the accused resided with his father.

On the date of the attack, he had been drinking heavily.

They went to bed and were sharing a pack of tobacco, but he accused her of being a thief for taking some and told her to go back to her ex and accused her of texting him.

The court heard he "grabbed her face on her jaw with one hand and squeezed it."

His father came up and pleaded with him to stop, but he was ignored. Conway punched her on the side of the face and verbally abused her, and then took her phone and threw it across the room.

Minutes later, he tried to cuddle her, but she pushed him away before he put his arm around her. He dug his fingers into her waist. It was sore, and she told him to stop, but he grabbed her arm, pulled her by her hair onto the ground, and she was "roaring for help".

At this point, Conway punched her in the face, kicked her in the ribs and head as she begged him to stop.

He fetched a golf club, struck her on the right shoulder and kept swinging at her "full force" as she put her arms up to protect herself. Ms Fitzpatrick begged him to stop, telling him she loved him and thought he would kill her, and that was his intention.

He left the bedroom, and she blocked the door, but he used a metal bar to break through.

Gardaí arrived, and Conway "burst" from a room and lunged at them until they used an incapacitant spray.

In his garda interview, he admitted to drinking heavily and claimed he had no recollection of the previous night. He also tried to convince gardaí that his former partner was a liar and that she made things up.

He was on bail at the time over another violent incident involving his former partner.

Ms Fitzpatrick had suffered severe bruising, suffered flashbacks, trauma and insomnia. She told the court: "I thought I was going to die, he wrapped my hair around his hand, leaving no way of escaping".

She had been in excruciating pain and suffered nerve damage to her left arm. She spoke out about the mental scars which she thought would take years to heal.

Afterwards, Conway sent threats, putting her in constant fear. Ms Fitzpatrick recalled one of his messages said: "Gardaí could not protect me even if I changed my name or colour of hair, he would still find me, or if I set foot in Athlone."

Conway had a history of alcohol abuse and was "in a state of alcoholic blackout when this happened.

Conway later apologised in court via his barrister and did not address the court. However, his victim spoke up, saying, "I will never, ever, ever accept it".

His 21 previous convictions included public order, criminal damage, burglary, theft and knife possession.