A man hit a woman with a baseball bat after she tried to close the door in her house as the attacker tried to get into the house to see the woman’s partner.
Damian Zygmunt appeared at Falcarragh District Court today charged with having possession of a weapon and also assault.
The court heard how Zygmunt, a 26-year-old father-of-one, arrived at the house at The Gardens, Ballymacool, Letterkenny on March 1st, 2016.
He demanded to speak to a man in the house but when the woman tried to close the door, the accused produced a baseball from inside his trousers.
Garda Inspector Seamus McGonagle said Zygmunt began to swing the bat and struck the woman in her mouth.
He then struck another male in the head with the bat before being pushed out the front door by the people in the house and locked the door.
Solicitor for the accused, Mr Patsy Gallagher said his client had previously had issues with cannabis and steroids and had got into debt.
The court was told the Zygmunt had 31 previous convictions for a series of charges including possession of a firearm, public order, misuse and sale of drugs, criminal damage and burglary.
Judge Paul Kelly said Zygmunt, with previous addresses in Letterkenny, had an atrocious record but said he accepted that the woman was not the target although this was of little comfort to her.
She had suffered a “terrifying ordeal” and had suffered bruising and a loose tooth.
Judge Kelly said “He has an atrocious record much of which involves violence.
“He is clearly a man who resorts to violence without much hesitation.”
He jailed Zygmunt for nine months on the charge of possession of a weapon and six months for assault with both charges to run concurrently while the sentence was backdated to November 5th when he went into custody.