*Mark Hayes.ย 

A 35-year old Shannon man with a โ€™serious streak of violenceโ€™ who told his then girlfriend while she lay on the floor covered in blood โ€˜look at you now b*t*h, you are going to be dead soonโ€™ has been jailed for seven years and one month.

At Ennis Circuit Court, Judge Francis Comerford has imposed the 100 month prison term, with the final 15 months suspended on Mark Hayes of Aidan Park, Shannon for the unprovoked and ‘callous’ St Patrickโ€™s Day assault on the woman at Rineanna View, Shannon that hospitalised her and left her with a broken eye socket, broken ribs and a collapsed lung and a separate assault causing harm offence on a Co Clare man on April 10th in Shannon.

The woman required a plate to be inserted for her facial injury and a consultant surgeonโ€™s report read out to the court stated that the woman could have died without medical intervention.

The medical report stated that the womanโ€™s facial injuries โ€œwill result in long term disfigurement and stigmaโ€ and โ€œher chest trauma and multiple rib fractures may cause her long-term physical pain and discomfortโ€.

The woman remained in hospital at University Hospital Limerick (UHL) for eleven days after her assault on St Patrickโ€™s Day.

Judge Comerford imposed a 70 month or six year ten month prison sentence for Mr Hayesโ€™s assault on his then girlfriend and a consecutive 30 month prison term with the final 15 months suspended for an โ€œunprovoked, random, vicious and irrationalโ€ assault from behind on a local resident, Denis Galvin while minding his own business on April 10th.

Judge Comerford said that Mr Hayesโ€™s โ€œsustained attackโ€ on his then partner was borne out of his own internal resentments and insecurities and the injuries are at the highest level of assault causing harm offending.

The court was told that as the woman recovered from her injuries after the St Patrickโ€™s Day assault, Mr Hayes sent her a message via Facebook saying โ€œI hope you have a speedy recoveryโ€.

Mr Hayes pleaded guilty to both assault causing harm charges on the two victims and threatening to kill the woman but when first interviewed by Gardaรญ on the assault on his then partner, he denied any knowledge of it and told Gardaรญ โ€œthatโ€™s a complete fabrication. She has made it all up. She must have let a psychopath into the houseโ€.

When shown photos of the injuries he inflicted on the womanโ€™s face, Mr Hayes told Gardaรญ โ€œare you sure she hadnโ€™t fallen? how is sheโ€?

In evidence, Det Sgt Kevin Oโ€™Hagan of Shannon Garda Station told the court that Mr Hayesโ€™s then partner while laying on the floor covered in blood on the night of St Patrickโ€™s Day, she thought Hayes was going to kill her and pleaded with him โ€˜please donโ€™t leave my kids without a motherโ€™.

In evidence, Det Sgt Oโ€™Hagan said that the two had been out drinking on St Patrickโ€™s Day and they returned home to her house at Rineanna View.

Counsel for the State, Sarah Jane Comerford BL (inst by State Solicitor for Clare, Aisling Casey) said that the woman was in the kitchen and Mr Hayes came into the kitchen and โ€œhe punched her straight away in the face and and knocked her to the side and smashed her head against the kitchen tiles and starting stamping on her ribsโ€.

Det Sgt Oโ€™Hagan said that Mr Hayes threw a kitchen table at her and he smashed her over the head two or three times with a small round blue table.

Ms Comerford said that Hayes told the woman that he was โ€œgoing to smash her teeth back in her face and leave her destroyedโ€.

Ms Comerford said that while Hayes was beating the woman, he took a blue handled sharp knife that was ten or twelve inches long and he traced it along her back when she was on the ground but he was saying he was going to stab her

In her statement, the woman said Hayes didnโ€™t cut her but told her โ€˜soon enough I will stab youโ€™.

As part of what Judge Comerford described as a โ€œcunning and callous assaultโ€, Mr Hayes grabbed the womanโ€™s hand and made her hold the knife and said that he was putting her fingerprints on it so if Gardaรญ came to the crime scene he could say that she attacked him and it was self-defence.

Det Sgt Oโ€™Hagan said that the bloodied woman ran out the front door of her home and was spotted by her teenage daughter at the opposite side of the green who ran to her motherโ€™s aid. Mr Hayes fled the scene.

In her victim impact statement, the woman said that her daughter โ€œthought I was dead when she saw me covered in bloodโ€.

In her statement read out by Det Sgt Oโ€™Hagan, the woman said, โ€œI am just happy to be alive but I have severe mental health problemsโ€.

Det Sgt Oโ€™Hagan said that the woman was still too traumatised by the assault to come to court for the sentencing.

Det Sgt O’Hagan said that Mr Hayes has prior convictions for violent assaults and received a three year prison term in 2015 for a 2013 assault at a Shannon hotel.

Det Sgt Oโ€™Hagan told the court that Mr Hayes has been before the courts for โ€œthree separate instances of an extremely violent natureโ€.

Det Sgt Oโ€™Hagan said that Mr Hayes has โ€œa serious streak in violence in him at certain stagesโ€. In all Mr Hayes has 20 previous convictions.

Judge Comerford backdated Mr Hayesโ€™s sentence to April 12 when he was initially brought into custody at Limerick prison.

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