MAN WHO BATTERED EX-GIRLFRIEND WITH A HURL AND KNIFE WHILE CHILD WAS AT HOME AVOIDS JAIL
The woman suffered multiple injuries and has been diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.A man who carried out a prolonged and violent assault on his former partner while her 12-year-old child was at home has avoided a prison sentence.
James Joseph McKinley confessed to attacking his ex-girlfriend using a hurley stick and a knife after a binge involving alcohol and drugs.
As a result of the attack, the woman endured numerous injuries and is now diagnosed with PTSD, describing the traumatic event as having left a lasting impression on her.
She stated that the incident has been “burned into her brain.” At Belfast Crown Court, Judge Paul Ramsey sentenced McKinley, 32, from Henderson Avenue in the northern part of the city, to a two-year prison term, suspended for three years.
The court also issued him a five-year restraining order, prohibiting him from harassing her or creating fears of violence.
The court was informed that the victim and McKinley had been in a relationship and shared a child, but they separated by November 2019.
On November 21, 2019, they were drinking together at her residence.
Early the next morning, McKinley became paranoid after hearing an audio message she received via WhatsApp.
Judge Ramsey explained that McKinley’s aggression then escalated, leading to a violent confrontation involving a small knife found in the house.
He described the incident, stating: “There was a struggle and in the course of that she sustained an injury to her leg.
She was also struck by a hurley stick in the middle of the incident and her phone was damaged.
She managed to get upstairs to the toilet and her son video-called her mum.
Her father was at the house in seconds and the defendant had already gone.” The woman managed to retreat upstairs to the toilet, where her son video-called her mother.
Her father arrived soon after, and by then, McKinley had already left the scene.
The injured woman was subsequently hospitalized and treated for multiple injuries, including a fractured nose, swelling and bruising on her arms and shoulder blades, a leg wound, and a bruised ribcage.
Two of her teeth were broken during the assault.
McKinley, who was apprehended shortly after, made only limited admissions regarding his actions.
He pleaded guilty to assault causing actual bodily harm and criminal damage to her mobile phone.
Since his arrest, McKinley has relocated and has been the target of further unwanted social media attention.
Judge Ramsey highlighted McKinley’s troubled childhood, which involved domestic abuse and alcoholism, and noted he left school without qualifications.
The defendant told a Probation Officer that his relationship with the victim was marred by alcohol and drug misuse.
