MAN WHO BEAT HIS GIRLFRIEND UNCONSCIOUS WHILE HER KIDS SCREAMED AT BEDROOM DOOR JAILED
A man responsible for imprisoning his ex-girlfriend and knocking her unconscious has been sentenced to two years in prison.The incident involved a 30-year-old woman who awoke in her bed to find Robert Maguire, aged 34, standing over her and spitting on her.
He issued threats to kill her before physically assaulting her by kicking her in the genital area and striking her into unconsciousness, all while her children were crying and calling out from the bedroom door.
In court last March, Maguire, residing at Colthurst Gardens, Hunting Glen, Lucan, Dublin, admitted to charges of assault causing harm and false imprisonment related to the attack at the woman’s Dublin residence on January 14, 2012.
The presiding judge, Mr Justice Paul Butler, characterized the assault as a violent and unprovoked attack on a defenseless woman in front of her children.
He sentenced Maguire to four years for each charge, with the sentences to run concurrently.
Additionally, he suspended the final two years on the condition that Maguire maintain peace during that period and have no contact with the victim.
During the sentencing in court last March, the woman was visibly upset, crying at the back of the courtroom as Garda Mairead Scanlon described the events of the attack.
According to the court testimony, the woman was sleeping when Maguire entered the room, hitting her in the face, spitting, and shouting at her.
When she tried to get up, Maguire pushed her back onto the bed, then kicked her in the side.
Her older children, who were at the bedroom door, began screaming, and her baby, sleeping in a cot, started crying.
Maguire then locked the bedroom door, refused her access to the baby, and eventually picked up the child from the cot, opening the door to give her to the oldest son.
As the woman pleaded for help or for someone to call the Gardaí, Maguire again locked the door and threatened to kill her "stone dead." He then continued kicking her until she lost consciousness.
A neighbor, hearing the screams, called the Gardaí, but Maguire had fled the scene before police arrived.
The woman was taken to Tallaght Hospital but returned the following day due to long wait times.
She received treatment for multiple cuts and bruises, including injuries around her genital area sustained from Maguire's kicks.
Maguire was subsequently arrested and admitted to the assault.
It emerged during the trial that Maguire has a history of previous convictions, including one for theft, which resulted in a 240-hour community service order.
Defense lawyer Michael O’Higgins SC described the attack as intense but brief, noting it must have been humiliating for the victim.
He expressed that Maguire offered a clear apology for his conduct.
O’Higgins also indicated that the motive behind the assault was Maguire’s discovery that the woman was involved in a new relationship, suggesting the incident was driven by sexual jealousy.
