Man threatened ex-partner on day he finished sentence for assaulting her

A man who was jailed for twice attacking his former partner threatened her over the phone on the day he was released from prison, a court has heard.

John Paul Gantley (35), of the Coombe, Dublin, was previously jailed after pleading guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to two counts of assault causing harm to the woman on May 20th and 24th, 2017.

Judge Cormac Quinn sentenced Gantley on July 31st last to three years' imprisonment, with the final 12 months suspended for two years, during which time he was ordered not to make any contact with the victim.

Garda Sgt Deirdre Connolly told Eoin Lawlor BL, prosecuting, that Gantley was released from custody on November 26th last and on that day, his former partner received texts from him asking to see his daughter.

Gantley called her and said that if he did not see his daughter he was “going to cause murder” and began to shout aggressively. He was later stopped at her place of work by security staff who he threatened while intoxicated.

On February 19th he was sentenced to six months imprisonment for breaking a protection order.

Gantley told Karl Monaghan BL, defending, that he denied sending texts and making phone calls to his former partner in November. Gantley told the court that he “can’t use a phone, a smart phone, the internet”.

At a previous sentence hearing, the court heard that on May 20th, 2017, Gantley sent a text to his former partner saying he wanted to see her. She refused and he arrived at her house that evening.

Knife

Their daughter saw Gantley pin her mother against the wall while holding her by the throat and hitting her in the face. Gantley took a knife from the kitchen and waved it around in the air, resulting in his former partner being cut on her forearm.

A few days later, Gantley again went to the woman’s house and followed her out onto the street. He hit her in the face with his hand while holding a sharp object which cut her face.

The woman said in her victim impact statement that she was “always on the edge of fear of John Paul” and that she was “fearful of the day he is released”.

Defence counsel said that Gantley had said “he would leave her alone for the rest of her life.”

On Friday Judge Quinn elected not to reactivate the suspended portion of Gantley’s earlier sentence. He said the final 12 months of it would be suspended for a further two years. He ordered that Gantley not make contact with the injured party for that period.