A lorry driver who admitted carrying out what as judge described as an ‘appalling assault’ on his then partner in their home by standing on her throat and head, has been jailed for four years and two months at Derry Crown Court.
Jailing the domestic violence perpetrator Judge Philip Babington said “this is one of the worst cases of its type to come before me in this way”.
Peter O’Kane (42) from Drumderg Road in Draperstown, pleaded guilty to attacking his then partner of seven years on April 19 2023, three years after he’d subjected her to a previous serious assault.
Prosecution barrister Michael McAleer told Judge Babington that O’Kane, who had 45 previous convictions, several of them for offences of violence, told the police after his arrest several days after the assault that he was in Cork at the time and that his victim had probably been attacked by one of her sisters.
Initially O’Kane pleaded not guilty to the assault before changing his mind before his trial.
Mr McAleer said O’Kane attacked his then partner following a verbal argument in their shared home.
“He grabbed her with both hands around her throat and began to strangle her. He then forced her to the floor still with his hands on her throat before putting his feet on her face and bouncing her head while supporting himself with the wall.
“He then moved his booted feet onto her throat where he again stomped on her with his full weight. She thought her head was going to explode. After the assault he leaned down and whispered to her - ‘you are lucky I like you’,” the prosecutor said.
The victim sustained a subconjunctival haemorrhage to her right eye, a cracked tooth, acute swelling of the left mastoid and bruising of the left arm and neck.
Judge Babington said while O’Kane belatedly accepted that his actions were unacceptable and unjustifiable, they were in fact cowardly and disgraceful.
“This was an appalling assault on his partner who he had assaulted previously in a similar way three years before. This is one of the worst cases of its type to come before me in this way. This man is obviously someone who is used to inflicting violence in a domestic setting”, he said.
As well as jailing O’Kane Judge Babington also imposed a Restraining Order banning him from any direct or indirect contact with his victim for the next five years.