MAN WHO VIOLENTLY ASSAULTED HIS PARTNER, LEAVING HER WITH BROKEN JAW AND NOSE, IS JAILED
Almost three years ago, a woman was violently assaulted after returning home from a night out in Cork with her then-partner.She sustained a fractured jaw, fracture of the eye socket, and a broken nose.
On Wednesday, her attacker was sentenced to three years in prison.
The defendant, 41-year-old Jonathan Kingsbury, who previously lived on Connolly Road, Ballyphehane, and more recently in Schull, Co Cork, was sentenced by Judge Helen Boyle at Cork Circuit Criminal Court to three years and nine months.
The final nine months were suspended.
Judge Boyle described the assault as having a grave impact on the victim’s physical and mental health.
She explained that the woman had to eat and drink through straws for months and still experiences stiffness in her jaw.
The judge pointed out that the assault occurred in the victim’s own home, which she considered an aggravating factor.
She also noted that Kingsbury failed to fully take responsibility for his actions and stressed that he was clearly at fault for the brutal attack.
While acknowledging Kingsbury’s remorse, guilty plea, and his steps to stay away from the victim and engage in counselling, Judge Boyle considered these mitigating factors.
Garda Aisling Brosnan confirmed that Kingsbury went back to the victim’s residence in Cork City shortly after midnight on March 11, 2023, following an evening spent together at a pub.
“He hit her head off a counter top, he hit her head off a wall, he punched her in the face, put his hands around her neck and threw heavy kitchen items at her.
He had broken her phone.
She ran from the house and called into neighbours and contacted the gardaí,” Garda Brosnan testified.
In the course of three days in hospital, she required surgery to have metal plates inserted in both sides of her jaw.
In her victim impact statement she said: “Since Jonathon assaulted me in March 2023, I have really bad anxiety and don't sleep properly.
I don't go outside the door, Before I go anywhere, I'll get an anxiety attack.
"It's horrible.
I want to cry.
I want to get sick, I start shaking.
I start over-thinking things.
When I do go out, it's just rushing to get things done and get back home.
I'm always afraid I'll bump into him.
"When I sleep, I sometimes have a dream and he could be in the dream so I wake up and that's it then — I'm awake and lying in bed or walking up and down the kitchen with anxiety.
Sometimes, if I hear noises at night, I'm afraid that it's him at my door.
I even got my locks changed as I didn't know if he had keys.
“I was always bubbly but I don't go out anymore.
I don't socialise and only call to my sister.
I wouldn't feel safe in a pub because I don't know where he'd be sitting.
Nikki O’Sullivan said the defendant wanted to reiterate his apology to the victim and assure her he would never approach her again.
The barrister said the defendant was sober now for the past 18 months.”
