A 41-year old man has been jailed for six months for assaulting his partner in her west Belfast home.
Daniel Drew Gibney will spend an addition six months on licence when he is released from prison on a charge of assault occasioning actual bodily harm.
From Northwick Drive in Belfast, Gibney was sentenced by Judge Patrick Lynch KC.
In submissions made by Crown barrister Kate McKay, Belfast Crown Court heard that on August 24, 2022 Gibney was present in his partner’s home.
The couple had been drinking and a row broke out over a mobile phone.
A physical altercation then took place and during this, their heads clashed twice.
Both Gibney and the injured party then fell asleep and the following morning, the victim spoke to her neighbour.
The neighbour described the injured party as ‘upset, crying, battered and bruised’.
She sustained several injuries including bruising to her forehead as well as bruising to her arms and chest.
Police were alerted, Gibney was arrested and during an interview he claimed he and his partner had got into a row over a bag of cocaine.
Defence barrister Stephen Toal KC said that whilst his client had admitted the charge, the incident was a “mutually aggressive situation” where both parties sustained injuries.
He added that some of the bruising injuries on the victim were caused when Gibney was acting in self-defence and attempting to restrain his partner.
Mr Toal said Gibney’s plea indicated a recognition that “he went too far” and that he now accepts he should have “walked out of this house” when the argument between them “turned physical.”
Regarding his client, the defence barrister revealed Gibney has a learning disability, a history or trauma and suffered from poor mental health.
Saying Gibney lived in a house with broken windows and has no money or food, Mr Toal described him a “vulnerable man struggling to look after himself.”
Judge Lynch said that whilst he acknowledged Gibney lived a “chaotic lifestyle” and had mental health difficulties, he said these were exacerbated by Gibney’s use of cannabis.
Noting Gibney has relevant previous convictions, Judge Lynch said: “These domestic abuse cases are unfortunately becoming more and more common in these courts.”