Man jailed for slashing woman’s face with large kitchen knife

A man who slashed his partner’s face with a large kitchen knife following a row in a public park has been jailed for five years.

Eddie Johnson (41), of no fixed abode, pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to intentionally or recklessly causing serious harm to the woman in Wolfe Tone Park in Dublin on April 28th, 2020.

Johnson has 223 previous convictions for offences including assault, criminal damage, public order, drugs, failure to appear, possession of knives, burglary, theft, handling stolen property, robbery and violent disorder.

The woman has since died in circumstances unrelated to the assault and no victim impact statement was prepared for the case.

Evidence was first heard in the case in June and it was adjourned by Judge Melaine Greally to allow for the preparation of a report by the Probation Service.

Judge Greally said it was a serious and significant stabbing which took place in the context of an intimate relationship. She said the knife was used in a particularly vicious way and was inevitably going to lead to lasting scarring.

The judge took into account that Johnson also had convictions for other violent offences and possession of weapons. She took into account evidence that Johnson is now at a point in his life in which he is ready to address his addiction.

Judge Greally said there was “a comprehensive” probation report before the court which concluded that Johnson was at a high risk of re-offending in a violent way and noted that it was recommended that he be under supervision for a minimum of two years.

The judge set a headline sentence of 7½ years before she took into account mitigating factors including his guilty plea, expression of remorse and difficult childhood. She also noted that he had engaged with drug services in prison.

Anger management

Judge Greally imposed a sentence of six years and suspended the final 12 months on strict conditions including that Johnson engage with the Probation Service for two years and take any course or therapies recommended to him including “intimate partner violence” and anger management.

Johnson is also to report “any new intimate relationships” to the Probation Service and attend for drug and alcohol intervention as recommended.

Det Garda PJ Gallagher told Monika Leech BL, prosecuting, at an earlier hearing that the woman was left with a 12cm wound on her forehead and an additional 5cm wound under her right eye. The cuts were deep but there was no injury to her eye. She needed 17 stitches on her forehead and three on her cheek.

Det Garda Gallagher said a search was conducted in the surrounding area immediately after the attack and Johnson was found on the nearby Rosie Hackett Bridge. He was wearing the same clothing as the man seen in CCTV footage from the scene.

Two large kitchen knives, one of which was blood stained, were discovered in a blue bag that had been placed in a nearby flower box.