Man assaulted his former partner after discovering she was moving in with lesbian lover

Darryl Perry (28) attacked Susan Dunne as she and her new partner arrived to collect her belongings at the house in Malahide that she and the defendant had shared together.

Ms Dunne had previously moved out of their home in Malahide and, on March 22, she returned to the house with her new girlfriend to collect some of her belongings.

He said he had only discovered that day that Ms Dunne was gay.

A row took place, which turned physical. Perry armed himself with a small wooden baseball bat and hit Ms Dunne on the head. He then kicked her girlfriend.

Ms Dunne and her girlfriend went to hospital where she was treated for a mild head injury, including soft tissue damage.

Both women later reported the assaults at Balbriggan Garda Station.

Perry, a Dunnes employee, pleaded guilty to assaulting Ms Dunne, causing her harm at the house in Malahide on March 22 last year contrary to Section 3 of the Non-Fatal Offences Against the Persons Act.

He further pleaded guilty to assaulting Ms Dunne’s girlfriend, under Section 2 of the Non-Fatal Offences Against the Persons Act, on the same date, and to the production of a baseball bat.

Garda Michael McCabe gave evidence that Perry and Ms Dunne had been living together but there was a breakdown in the relationship.

Defence solicitor Fiona D’Arcy said the defendant apologised to his victims and that he confirmed the relationship had broken down.

After reading victim impact statements, Judge Dermot Dempsey ordered Perry come up with €1,745 in compensation and handed him a four-month sentence for assault causing harm, a two-month sentence for assault and a one-month sentence for the production of the baseball bat, to run concurrently, all of which he suspended for two years.