A man was given jail time today for punching his daughter after she got a tattoo.
Norman Megaw, 49 and from Elmwood in Cullybackey, Co Antrim, appeared at Ballymena Magistrates Court on Thursday for sentencing after previously pleading guilty to charges of assault and criminal damage.
The second charge related to him ripping a £200 TV off a wall and smashing it during an incident in March this year at his home.
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The victim was able to make an audio recording of the incident on a mobile phone and it was played to the court.
Megaw, described in court as a bus builder, could be heard shouting and his daughter was crying on the audio tape.
The court was told Megaw admitted punching his 18-year-old daughter on the forehead, slapping her on the face and damaging the TV.
A defence lawyer said it was “very disturbing and appalling behaviour”.
He said there could be no excuse for what happened but added that the incident “seems to have arisen out of the defendant’s daughter getting a tattoo which she said she wouldn’t”.
The lawyer accepted the audio tape “paints a terrible picture” and said Megaw acknowledged he had anger issues which need to be addressed and the defendant was due to visit his GP in respect of that.
The lawyer said the incident happened after Megaw had drank a ten glass bottle of vodka.
The court was told Megaw’s daughter moved out to stay with a relative.
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Megaw, who had a previously clear record, had pleaded guilty at the earliest opportunity, the defence said.
District Judge Nigel Broderick said after listening to the tape it was “quite horrific” what Megaw had done to his daughter.
The judge added: “It is quite clear you are a violent man with anger management issues.”
He jailed the defendant for three months but Megaw was released on his own bail of £500 pending appeal.
Judge Broderick said it was important that the appeal judge listens to the audio tape.
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