A man who admitted imprisoning and assaulting a woman he met on an online dating site has received an 18-month suspended jail sentence.
Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard Renalds Kosmacovs (34) claimed to gardaí he refused to let the victim leave his home because he wanted her to sober up and was afraid of what people would think.
Kosmacovs, of Yellow Meadows Drive, Clondalkin, pleaded guilty to assaulting and falsely imprisoning the woman at that address on November 21st, 2011. He has seven previous convictions for public order and road traffic offences.
Garda Stephen Donegan said Kosmacovs and the victim were both Latvian Russian and had met on a Russian dating website. They had gone on a few dates and on the night in question went back to his home, a chalet-style shed in the garden of a Russian family’s home.
There was a small party, with both drinking vodka and the woman stayed that night in the man’s bed. The next morning the pair began drinking heavily again with the other people in the family home.
The court heard the woman went to bed in her underwear at noon but woke at 3pm to find Kosmacovs trying to kiss her. She later told gardaí she felt threatened because he had locked the chalet door and said he would not let her go.
She said she tried to break a window with a chair but he stopped her and slapped her face. She managed to get out and neighbours came to help.
Kosmacovs later admitted keeping her against her will and grabbing her, and apologised through the court.
Judge Patricia Ryan suspended the 18-month sentence for two years.