Three years in prison for assault on ex-lover’s partner

A man who attacked the partner of a woman with whom he had an affair, after luring the unsuspecting victim to his home near Skryne on Valentine's night five years ago, was jailed for three years at Trim Circuit Court.

John Wall (46) of Jealoustown Lane, Dunshaughlin, pleaded guilty to a charge of assault causing harm to his love rival on 14th February 2017. The court heard the victim, who was an out of work carpenter at that time, neither knew the defendant nor anything of the affair.

Sergeant JP Coggins told prosecuting counsel Carl Hanahoe BL that Wall, who worked in Dublin, had engaged in a five month long affair with a co-worker, the victim's partner, before she ended the relationship approximately a month before the assault.

The court heard that Wall refused to accept the affair was over and continued to text the woman.

The sergeant said that Wall had learned that his victim was very anxious to secure work as a carpenter and using the alias 'Paul' claimed to be a construction works owner and contacted him with a fictitious job offer to convert an attic above a garage into a sitting room.

Sgt Coggins said the victim bought a new measuring tape in expectation of getting a job and was collected from his home in Dun Laoghaire in the defendant's Avensis by Wall who now pretended to be a construction employee called 'Martin'.

The court heard the victim recognised that 'Martin's' voice was remarkably similar to 'Paul's'.

They then drove to Wall's home in Jealoustown and while the victim was on his knees marking out the floor over the garage the defendant dissappeared briefly before returning armed with a lump hammer.

Wall ran at his victim saying 'Fuck you' and knocked the other man out with a single blow to the right of his forehead, the sergeant said.

When the injured man regained consciousness he asked his attacker what had happened and the other man first told his victim that he had fallen and then said that he 'didn't know' with a grin on his face.

Wall gave his victim a rag to stop the blood dropping on the floor before driving him home. When the victim told his partner about the silver Avensis and what had happened she recognised who was responsible and told him about the affair.

She later told gardai that prior to the incident the defendant informed her he would not be in work the following day and added 'we'll just have to see how tonight goes'.

Gardai arrested Wall the day after the attack and in a search at his home discovered the victim's tape measure as well as a mobile phone with a SIM card he had bought in Navan under an assumed name on 12th February 2017 and found it contained details of all the traffic between him and his victim.

Forensic examinations revealed blood spatters on Wall's work trousers and boots, the floor above the garage, a lump hammer at his home, a rag in the boot of his Avensis car all matched the victim's DNA.

The sergeant added that Wall had previously confirmed that his then wife would not be at home at the time of the assault.

The victim told the court his whole world had been turned upside down by the assault - his then long term relationship had ended and his mental health deteriorated.

"I just wanted to feel normal again," he said, but was left with post tramatic stress disorder taking anti depressants and painkillers.

He said he would wake up anxious wondering 'what the hell did I do to deserve this'.

He had suffered flashbacks and had been to counsellors and therapists trying to get off the painkillers.

"I was buying tablets on the street to help me forget," he added.

He described himself as being a 'bubbly, outgoing, trusting, loudest person in the room type' before the night he was 'lured under false pretences by a complete stranger' but was now wary of people.

While he now had a new partner and an infant daughter he concluded that his life would never be the same.

A defence barrister said his client had put an apology in writing for his victim and had €8,000 for him as a token of his remorse.

Judge Martina Baxter described the assault as 'premeditated, planned and sinister' and noted that Wall had duped not only his victim but also his wife and the woman with whom he was having an affair.

The judge commended Sgt Coggins for the thoroughness of the garda investigation noting the defendant had been caught red handed.

Judge Baxter sentenced Wall to three and a half years with the final six months suspended on condition the defendant keep the peace for 12 months and remain under the supervision of the Probation Service for six months from his release.