Man who attacked girlfriend with knife jailed for five and a half years

A man who trapped his then girlfriend in her bathroom and attacked her with a knife has been jailed for five-and-a-half years.

Wojciech Strojek (37) put a knife to the woman’s throat and told her she would never see her children again during the incident, which occurred in the woman’s home while her children were present.

He also assaulted his then girlfriend’s ex-husband and a paramedic in the months leading up to the attack on the woman.

Strojek, a Polish national of Barnwell Place, Ongar, Dublin pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to false imprisonment, assault causing harm, production of an article and making threats to kill at Barnwell Lane, Ongar, on April 4th, 2020.

He also pleaded guilty to assault causing harm at Barnwell Lane, Ongar, on February 18th, 2020, and to assault causing harm at James Connolly Hospital, Blanchardstown, on March 12th, 2020.

Garda Jennifer Green told Elva Duffy BL, prosecuting, that on the date in April, she was on mobile patrol when she was dispatched to a domestic violence incident that had been called in by a 14-year-old girl.

Gda Green said Strojek had been having a cigarette with his then girlfriend in their downstairs bathroom when he told her she had to call her ex-husband and tell him she would never see him again.

Strojek then began punching her, insulting her and saying he was going to kill her. He grabbed a kitchen knife and used it to cut her left wrist slightly before putting it to her throat.

Due to a previous abusive relationship, the woman had a code that was known to her children which meant they had to call the police. She used the code then and her 14-year-old daughter contacted gardaí.

Strojek said: “Let’s cut your wrists to see how the pain feels before I cut your throat” and told her she was never going to see her children again. He also poured water over her trousers during the incident.

Gardaí arrived at the scene and arrested the accused. The incident lasted approximately 30 minutes in total.

Strojek has no previous convictions in Ireland, but has 10 convictions in his native Poland. These include convictions for assault, threats, intoxicated driving and public order.

Gda Green agreed with Seamus Clarke SC, defending, that his client claimed he could not remember the incident. She agreed that Strojek had been in a relationship with the woman for seven months prior to the incident.

Mr Clarke said his client left school aged 12 and was homeless for a time, eventually ending up in a juvenile detention centre. He said his client has a history of alcohol abuse.

Judge Martin Nolan sentenced Strojek to five-and-a-half years imprisonment.