Man with 186 convictions jailed for 'horrific attack' on partner

Niamh O’Donoghue

A man who carried out a “horrific attack” on his then partner has been jailed for four years.

Colm Carroll (27) of Issacs Hostel, Frenchman’s Lane, Dublin pleaded guilty to two counts of assault causing harm at George’s Hill, Dublin 7, on February 26, 2025. He has 186 previous convictions.

Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard that, despite pleading guilty, Carroll disputed the facts of the case and said he also received injuries in the incident.

Passing sentence, Judge Sheahan said Carroll carried out a “horrific attack” on his then partner, who remains “deeply traumatised”.

Judge Sheahan said the court was proceeding to sentence Carroll on the basis that he had pleaded guilty to the charges as prosecuted on the evidence in the book of evidence.

The judge said it was aggravating that Carroll was on bail at the time, that he had a previous conviction for assault and that it occurred in the context of an intimate relationship.

Judge Sheahan noted the contents of Carroll’s letter, adding that the court accepted his remorse was genuine.

She said the court also took into account Carroll’s guilty plea, family support, their concerns for him and his attempt to address his addiction while in custody.

Judge Sheahan imposed a five-year sentence, with the final 12 months suspended on strict conditions, including probation supervision. She said the court wished to incentivise Carroll to continue to address his addiction, which is at the root of his offending.

Evidence was previously heard that Carroll tried to take the injured party’s prescription medication.

He grabbed her by the hair, pulled her to the ground and kicked her in the face. He dragged her to the corner of the room while he held her down and continued to punch and kick her while demanding money from her.

At one point, she said she would get him money to appease him. He got off her and dragged her back towards the room. She agreed to give him money, and they left the apartment.

They met a porter downstairs, and he approached the woman to see if she was alright. He followed Carroll and the injured party and asked him to leave.

The porter witnessed Carroll punch the woman in the mouth. Gardaí arrived and noticed swelling to the woman’s face, and her bottom teeth were loose.

She went to the Mater Hospital to get medical attention, and there were injuries and pain all over her body. There was swelling and bruising around her eye and grazes on her body.

Carroll made no admissions and exercised his right to silence.

He has 186 previous convictions, of which 77 were committed whilst on bail. He was on bail at the time for 10 offences, including criminal damage, trespass, theft, and handling stolen property. He has one assault conviction, one for aggravated burglary and eight for burglary.

In her victim impact statement, the woman said she had cuts and scrapes on her body. She said it took three weeks for the swelling to go down, and her hair was matted for six weeks from being pulled. She said she had damage to her bottom teeth.

She added new locks to her door. She said she now gets triggered very easily, suffers from nightmares and gets scared easily of men.