Man (34) jailed for 'vicious' attack on his former partner

Sonya McLean

A man who beat his former partner in her home in a “vicious” attack after verbally abusing her has been jailed for 20 months.

Maxwell Itumelang Mosia (34) of Cherry Orchard Drive, Ballyfermot, Dublin 10, pleaded guilty at the Central Criminal Court to assault causing harm to the woman on a date in 2019.

Mosia pleaded guilty before he went on trial for more serious offences, the court heard.

The Director of Public Prosecution has since entered a nolle prosequi in relation to these charges so Mosia faces no further charges beyond the assault causing harm charge.

John Byrne SC, prosecuting, told the court that Mosia first began attacking the woman downstairs before it continued upstairs. The woman was punched in the face, arms, shoulders and legs, while she tried to protect her face.

He struck the woman a number of times in the face before he brought her into the bathroom, before he forced her to undress and get into the shower.

He slapped her around her ears before he sprayed her with the shower hose, particularly around her genital area.

The court heard that the woman had been in a relationship with Mosia for about four years before that relationship ended.

He came to her home that night following a night out with a number of people, including her housemate. Mosia then discovered the woman was in her bedroom with her new partner.

He went up to the room and demanded the man leave. After he left, he began his assault on the woman.

The woman was later treated at The Rotunda Hospital for a burst lip consistent with being struck to the face. She also had pain to her right ear, right upper jaw and general tenderness to her head and face area. She was treated for a mild concussion.

There was no victim impact statement before the court. The court heard that Mosia has 29 previous convictions, including 24 for road traffic offences, public order and theft.

Sentencing him on Friday, Ms Justice Karen O’Connor said Mosia had engaged in “machismo behaviour” during the attack, which she described as “vicious” and with “degrading and humiliating” aspects to it.

She noted the attack took place in the woman's home, where she should have felt safe and that Mosia used insulting language and called her demeaning names.

Ms Justice O'Connor set a headline sentence of 30 months, and she reduced this to 20 months, taking into account Mosia's guilty plea and other mitigating factors. She backdated it to when he went into custody earlier this week.

Dominic McGinn SC, defending, asked the court to take into account the fact that his client had entered a guilty plea after he said that Mosia accepts that the “violence he used cannot be excused”.

Counsel asked the court to also take into consideration the fact that his client has no convictions for violence and was “not a risk to women”.

If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this article, you can contact Women’s Aid (24-hour freephone helpline at 1800-341 900, email helpline@womensaid.ie) or Men’s Aid Ireland (confidential helpline at 01-554 3811, email hello@mensaid.ie) for support and information.

Safe Ireland also offers a number of local services and helplines at safeireland.ie/get-help/where-to-find-help/. In the case of an emergency, always dial 999/112.