Man who attacked wife with knife in front of children gets 18 months

A Dublin father who attacked his wife with a knife before turning on his 15-year-old step daughter as she tried to save her mother has been jailed for 18 months.

The court heard the assault on his wife took place in front of small children who ran to get their older sister, telling her: “Daddy is downstairs with a knife cutting Mammy.”

The teenage girl ran downstairs and saw her stepfather leaning over her mother with a kitchen knife. As she tried to get him off her mother, he turned his attention on her, hitting her several times.

The family were able to run to a neighbour’s house afterwards and gardaí were alerted.

The woman told gardaí that she did not wish for her former partner to be jailed as she did not believe it would be good for him or their children. Victim impact statements were handed into the judge but not read in open court.

The 41-year-old man, who cannot be named to avoid the identification of the child victim, pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to assaulting his wife and step daughter at the family home on December 3th, 2018.

He pleaded also guilty to a further count of assaulting his wife in June 2018.

The man, who has no previous convictions, no longer lives with or has contact with his family.

Judge Martin Nolan noted the man's co-operation with the Garda investigation, his full co-operation, remorse and good work history. He said the man had been taking antidepressants but also drinking alcohol.

He said the woman did not want the man to go to prison and he would have to bear that in mind to some extent, as well as the effect a prison sentence would have on his family.

He said the December assault on his wife and step daughter had been particularly serious, but noted there had been an earlier assault on his wife in June. He said the man should have changed his ways after the first assault and sought help but he did not.

Judge Nolan said unfortunately for everyone in order to punish the man and to be a deterrent in general terms there must be a custodial sentence. He imposed 18 months imprisonment.