Suspended sentence for man who assaulted woman in domestic incident on Christmas Eve

Conor Costello (29) of Lawrence Hill admitted two charges of assault on a female and one of criminal damage to a set of car keys on December 24 last year.

The court heard police observed a man acting suspiciously on Lawrence Hill.

He was seen to get into a vehicle which was then observed to be rocking from side to side.

Police pulled up alongside the vehicle and saw there was a female present as well.

The woman told police she had been in Costello's home and he was 'in foul mood'.

She said she had tried to leave and he had prevented her and pushed her against a wall and then headbutted her causing swelling to her eye.

The woman managed to get out and got into the car and the defendant followed her and she told him she was breaking up with him.

He struggled with the woman and grabbed the car keys from her and threw them away damaging them and then police arrived.

Costello said he was 'absolutely monkeyed' at the time and denied the assault claiming the swelling was due to the woman crying.

The defendant said he may have grabbed the woman by the shoulders and then told police 'I should have let her go'.

Defence counsel Stephen Mooney said there was no domestic history and this was 'not a pattern'.

District Judge Oonagh Mullan said it was concerning incidents like this occur in the context of a relationship.

She imposed a 6 month sentence suspended for 18 months.