A 31-YEAR-OLD man who attacked a woman ‘like a wild animal’ when he flew into a jealous rage has been jailed for 18 months.
Daniel Francis Keenan punched, kicked and throttled his victim and poured a bottle of wine over her head after he saw her talking to his friend.
During the prolonged attack on the evening of 1 January, he also pushed her to the ground, knocking her tooth out, banged her head on the floor, threatened to kill her, threw a knife and pulled some of her hair out.
She was left with multiple injuries, including two black eyes.
Following the assault, Keenan stole the woman’s purse containing her cards, £85 cash and Co-Op dividend stamp cards worth £100.
The defendant, who has a history of alcohol and substance abuse and was drinking up to eight bottles of wine a day at the time of the attack, pleaded guilty to grave and criminal assault and larceny.
Outlining the case in the Royal Court, Crown Advocate Lauren Hallam said that the police were called to the woman’s flat by a member of the public who walked past and noticed the door open.
The victim later told the police that Keenan, who had been drinking since 8am on the day of the attack, was ‘like a wild animal’ and that she thought he was going to kill her.
However, when she was questioned the following day she refused to make a statement.
On 9 February, the defendant’s advocate sent the Crown a copy of a letter that she received from the victim, in which the woman said that she and Keenan had been arguing on the day of the incident and that she was ‘goading him’.
She added that she did not want the photographs taken by the police doctor after the offence to be used against the defendant.
Advocate Francesca Pinel, defending, said that Keenan has no recollection of the events but accepts full responsibility for his actions.
She added that he ‘acknowledges his offences were as a result of intoxication’ and that ‘he is motivated to change his behaviour’.
She also submitted a number of positive character references which had been given by friends, family members and previous partners.
Deputy Bailiff Robert MacRae, delivering the sentence, said that Keenan had shown ‘substantial unwarranted violence that night’.
Jurats Steven William Austin-Vautier and Karen Le Cornu were presiding.
