A Letterkenny man has been sentenced to seven months imprisonment after a court heard how he had grabbed his partner by the hair in the home they shared and dragged her around, resulting in her fracturing a finger.
Before Letterkenny District Court was Liam Boyle who pleaded guilty to the assault charge.
The court heard that defendant and the injured party had been in the Glencar Inn from early afternoon until approximately midnight on the date of the offence, March 5, 2024.
He and his partner subsequently walked home to the house they shared at College Park.
At that stage, Boyle was stumbling and his speech was slurred. He noticed the woman’s bag inside one of the rooms and accused her of sending pictures to other people.
She tried to calm him down but he told her to “get the f….out of my house”.
He then threw the bags outside before grabbing her by the hair and dragging her eight metres during which she hit her head off a door frame.
He then proceeded to throw her out of the house.
Afterwards, the injured party attended Letterkenny University Hospital where it was discovered that her middle finger was fractured.
Garda Sergeant Jim Collins told the court that the woman was given paracetamol and her finger was taped up.
She suffered no other long term physical injuries.
Boyle is currently in custody where he is serving a two and a half year sentence for ramming the Carry Out off-license premises at Pearse Road, Letterkenny.
He is due for release in January 2027.
Defending solicitor, Kieran O’Gorman told this week’s court that his client (28) was doing well in prison and was turning his life around and had joined Alcoholics Anonymous.
He had been in custody since February 22, 2025.
“He had a very serious problem with alcohol,” Mr O’Gorman indicated, adding that his client wanted to issue an apology.
Passing sentence, Judge Emile Daly quoted the victim impact statement and highlighted the “very serious nature of the assault” on the injured party.
“It involved her finger being broken and being pulled by the hair and being dragged around the house.”
The victim had suffered feelings of “self consciousness” and the loss of her income.
A further aggravating feature was the fact that she had been in a relationship with the defendant.
Noting the defendant’s plea to the charge, the judge also spoke of his expressions of remorse.
Judge Daly sentenced Boyle to a term of seven months imprisonment to run concurrently with his current sentence.
