A young man who viciously assaulted his girlfriend giving her a black eye when she would not give him the keys for his car has been jailed for six months.
Dylan Sherlock appeared at Falcarragh District Court in Co Donegal on Wednesday charged with assaulting Ms Alanna Ryan.
The court heard how at 10.30pm on April 9 last, Gardai were alerted to a woman holding a baby and in a distressed state in the window of a home at Glendale Manor in Letterkenny.
When they arrived Sherlock, 21, who has 28 previous convictions, would not allow them in and spoke to them through the letterbox.
When they eventually gained entry, a young woman was sitting on a sofa holding a baby and she had a large black eye.
Ms Ryan, who is Sherlock’s partner, initially said she received the black eye after falling down the stairs but then admitted that Sherlock attacked her.
Garda Inspector Seamus McGonigle said Ms Ryan revealed that Sherlock had returned from the pub and had demanded the keys for his car. She refused and he kicked her and punched her repeatedly.
Solicitor for the accused, Mr Frank Dorrian, said his client suffered from alcohol problems which had been compounded by the death of his mother when he was just 10 years old.
The solicitor said he is one of five children and all of his siblings are also in custody at present.
Mr Dorrian said the couple have since rekindled their relationship and that Ms Ryan visits Sherlock in prison.
He added that Sherlock’s father, who also spent time in prison, has since become sober and that he hopes to emulate his father.
The court heard that Sherlock’s previous convictions include assault, criminal damage and the defilement of a child under 17 years for which he has served prison sentences.
Judge Paul Kelly asked to see the victim’s impact victim statement and having read the report sentenced Sherlock to six months in prison for the charge of assault.
