A labourer has been jailed for 27 months for assaulting his ex-girlfriend in their car while he drove around Dublin.
Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard that members of the public, including a bus driver, witnessed Aidan O’Hara’s attack on Jessica Ayodeji.
Garda Paul Daly said O’Hara (36) dragged Ms Ayodeji back into the car when she tried to escape while the vehicle was stopped at traffic lights.
O’Hara, of Hand Caravan Park, Balcarrick, Donabate, pleaded guilty to assaulting Ms Ayodeji causing her harm at locations at Griffith Court, Drumcondra; Fairview and Philipsburgh Avenue, Marino, on July 5th last.
He further pleaded guilty to dangerous driving and failing to remain at the scene of a collision at Philipsburgh Avenue on the same date.
He has 14 previous convictions, including assaults, drugs offences, burglary and criminal damage. One of these assault convictions is for an attack on a different partner in 2012.
Garda Daly told Fiona McGowan BL, prosecuting, that Ms Ayodeji received more than 26 missed calls from O’Hara the morning of the attack. She saw him driving towards her home in the Opel Astra car they had shared during their relationship and went outside to speak to him when he beeped the horn.
O’Hara ordered Ms Ayodeji into the vehicle and then demanded to know who she was “seeing”.
Collided
Ms Ayodeji later told gardaí that O’Hara collided with another car while assaulting her, but kept driving.
She said he stopped hitting her after dragging her back into the car following her escape attempt at traffic lights and eventually pulled in at a location in Ballymun.
Ms Ayodeji got out of the vehicle with a bust lip and a lump on her head. Garda Daly said O’Hara followed her on foot and walked alongside her while on the phone to his brother.
The court heard O’Hara was calling his brother to organise a lift home for Ms Ayodeji.
Garda Daly agreed with Rebecca Smith BL, defending, that her client had been in a relationship on and off with Ms Ayodeji for about three years. He further agreed that O’Hara’s guilty plea had spared his victim and the civilian witnesses giving evidence at trial.
Judge Nolan noted that Ms Ayodeji made various attempts to escape from O’Hara. He accepted O’Hara had co-operated with gardaí and had taken steps to reform himself. He imposed a 27-month jail term backdated to when O’Hara went into custody in July and banned him from driving for two years.