A MAN has been convicted of assaulting his partner and told he must do 240 hours of community service in lieu of a nine-month jail sentence.
Judge Patrick McMahon said Kieron Ducie’s assault on Elaine Buggle, when she was pregnant, was an “appalling and dastardly act; cowardly and mean”.
Ducie (43) pleaded guilty to one count of assault causing harm to his partner on January 14th last year at their home at Lambertstown Manor, Kilmessan, Co Meath.
Trim District Court was yesterday told by Garda Supt Mary Gormley that when gardaí arrived at the house, at about 9.30pm, an ambulance was already there.
They met the injured woman and she had damage to her left eye and the left side of her face. She told gardaí she was four months pregnant.
The court heard that she alleged her partner, Kieron Ducie, had hit her on the head and face on numerous occasions with a mobile phone in his hand and that he had pushed her in the stomach.
She was taken by ambulance to the Rotunda hospital.
Supt Gormley said Ms Buggle and Ducie were partners and “are together”. She said they had two children.
Judge McMahon asked if the child was born and all right. “Yes,” defence solicitor David Powderly replied .
The judge was told that Ducie had one previous conviction related to road tax.
Mr Powderly told Judge Mahon the couple had been “reconciled for some considerable time” and were living as a family of four, including two children of Ms Buggle’s from a previous relationship.
He said the defendant was working two days a week for his father and was the sole provider for her and the children.
Mr Powderly said at the time the family was under considerable pressure due to him (Ducie) being under “media attention for a number of years” for a matter that was not related.
He had lost his temper and thrown his phone, said the defence solicitor.
Ms Buggle told Judge Mahon that they were “working as a family a lot more” and were attending counselling together.
She said her partner was attending anger management sessions and “we are getting along really well”. Ms Buggle said an incident had occurred, but that she also had withdrawn her statement.
Passing sentence, the judge said what Ducie had done was “appalling and dastardly”.
It was “a low-down act he committed”, adding that his partner “had decided to forgive him”.
“It is a dastardly act and he deserves the full rigours of the law,” the judge added.
He asked would Ducie do community service and was told he would.
The judge then let the case stand to see if Ducie was suitable for community service.
When he was told later in the day that Ducie was suitable, the judge directed that he complete 240 hours in lieu of a nine-month prison sentence.
Judge Mahon told him that “only that lady spoke up you were going to prison for nine months”.