The victim never made an official statement to police
A Derrygonnelly man who assaulted his partner giving her a black eye and scratches on her neck has been jailed for five months.
The prosecutor told Enniskillen Magistrates Court that on July 21 2013 at 7.30pm police received a 999 call from the victim Eileen Stokes who said she had been thrown out of the house and threatened that rope would be put around her neck.
Officers attended the scene and found the victim with a black eye and scratches to her neck. She refused to tell police how she sustained her injuries. Extremely upset she turned to the defendant Patrick Mongan, of Back Road and said: “You gave me this black eye two days ago.”
The defendant was then arrested and taken to Enniskillen police station. During interview Mongan said he had not assaulted the victim and said she had punched herself in the eye.
The injured party never came forward to make a statement.
Canice McManus defending, accepted the black eye had been caused by the defendant and admitted the defendant had not been forthright with police. He noted that the victim had a record for dishonesty, but district judge Nigel Broderick refuted this: “This doesn’t mean she can’t be the victim of assault.”
Mr McManus accepted the charge and told the court that the injured party and the defendant were together and she had been enquiring about the case. He asked that credit be given for the relatively early plea and made the point that no statement was ever made by the victim to police regarding the assault. He asked the judge to consider the fact that it had been three years since Mongan’s last offence.
The district judge said this was a serious matter and that for Mongan to suggest the victim had punched herself in the eye was “ludicrous” and would not be accepted.