Man jailed for prolonged attack on girlfriend in which he tried to cut off her toe

A man has been jailed for three years for a savage and prolonged drink-fueled attack on his then girlfriend.

During the attack Michael Mahon (29) punched and kicked Catherine Brennan, told her he would put “lead into your head” and tried to cut her toe off with a butcher’s knife.

Video footage played in court showed a visibly drunken Mahon yielding a butcher’s knife and telling the woman “I’ll cut yiz all in two” and “chop the head off you”. The footage was taken by the victim using her mobile phone.

Mahon of Ventry Park, Cabra, Dublin pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to assault causing harm to Ms Brennan, aged 36, and threatening to kill her in her home in Ongar, Dublin 15, on December 12th, 2019.

Garda Des Mulvihill told Gerardine Small BL, prosecuting, that Ms Brennan was Mahon’s partner at the time. She later told gardaí­ he was an alcoholic who became violent when drunk.

She arrived home at 4pm to find Mahon drinking vodka in the kitchen. He was extremely drunk and started calling her names. He became increasingly aggressive and threatened to stab her and kill her.

Gda Mulvihill said Mahon’s behaviour continued throughout the night. At 1am she was in bed and he came into the room and pulled the blanket off her.

He screamed at her, telling her she was a tramp and threatening to “put a lump of lead into your head” if she told the police. He then punched the back of her head and she slapped him back.

Mahon continued to beat up the woman, kicking her in the stomach as she lay on the ground. She blacked out and woke up on the kitchen floor.

She tried to ring 999 three times but Mahon forced her to hang up. At one point he stood over her punching her with his fists and kicking her.

He threatened her with a scissors and later he held a butcher’s knife to her neck. He used this knife to try to cut her toes off but the woman kicked him away.

She later told gardaí­ that she was in fear for her life. She suffered bruising to her face, stomach and legs.

Mahon left the flat and went to a hospital to get treatment for injuries he had sustained during his attacks. Medics who attended to him were more concerned with his alcohol levels, the court heard.

Gda Mulvihll agreed with defence counsel Pieter Le Vert BL that his client was a very different person when sober to the person viewed on the video footage.

Counsel said that Mahon was diagnosed with severe ADHD and began drinking heavily after the death of his mother. He said his client expressed remorse for the assaults after gardaí showed him photographs of the victim’s bruising.

Judge Martin Nolan said this was a “savage and prolonged assault” involving realistic threats. He said it was a terrifying experience for the victim.

He said he accepted Mahon was remorseful, co-operated with gardaí and was trying to reform himself while in custody.

He backdated a prison term of three years to December 14th last. His 37 previous convictions include arson, car theft and public order offences.