A man who slashed his wife’s neck, cheek and wrist with a broken glass after she poured his bottle of vodka down a kitchen sink has been released from jail after serving nine months in custody.
Carl Hargaden appeared for sentence at Letterkenny Circuit Court in Co Donegal after the gruesome attack at the couple’s home at Flax Fields in Convoy on January 28th this year.
Ms Anna Hargaden has a permanent facial scar from the attack while a consultant plastic surgeon revealed that she will also never have full use of one of her fingers after the tendon was severed.
Details of the alcohol-fuelled attack were read out in court by Gardai.
It revealed how the couple had been arguing on and off for a number of hours at their home.
The couple had only lived in Co Donegal since March 2022 having lived in Ennis in Co Clare since September, 2015.
The court was told that Hargaden, 62, had been drinking heavily on and off and that Gardai had been called to a domestic dispute between the couple previously.
The accused had arrived back home after purchasing two bottles of vodka and a row had broken out.
The following morning Mr Hargaden came downstairs and began drinking vodka again at 10am at the kitchen table while his wife made a sandwich and the arguing began again.
He accused her of not being supportive to him and not contributing to the house.
Ms Hargaden took possession of the bottle of vodka and hid it and Mr Hargaden then took her mobile phone which he accused her of having secrets on.
She poured some of the vodka down the kitchen sink and he said he would give her back her phone if she gave him the vodka back but when she did, Hargaden refused to give back the phone.
The arguing continued and Ms Hargaden began pouring the alcohol out again and the accused then began attacking her which resulted in her being slashed with a glass.
She began screaming after she saw blood dripping on the floor and she ran to a neighbour’s house.
She was initially taken for treatment to Letterkenny University Hospital but was advised to attend Galway University Hospital and she then attended Professor Jack Kelly, a consultant plastic surgeon on January 30th.
He noted a laceration to her left cheek as well as an injury to her right ring finger and her right wrist.
Although the wounds healed well, Professor Kelly described the injury as ‘serious’ and said it was unlikely if Ms Hargaden would ever recover the full sensation in her ring finger and also noted she had difficulty with her grip.
A follow-up report on June 13th also noted she had difficulty in attending Galway University Hospital for follow-up appointments because of the distance.
Hargaden was arrested and interviewed and sent forward on a signed plea for a charge under Section 3 Assault Causing Serious Harm under the Non-Fatal Offences Against the Persons Act.
The court heard that he had previous convictions for driving offences while under the influence of alcohol and had been banned from driving but had no previous convictions relating to violence.
His barrister, Mr Damien Crawford, BL, said his client had lived in many parts of the world and had a “long standing alcohol problem.”
Having spoken to Hargaden, Mr Crawford said the accused told him he did not consider himself a violent person and there was no excuse for what he had done.
Mr Crawford said the incident arose out of an unhappy marital situation which was fuelled by alcohol while his wife was only trying to assist him.
He said the couple had now reconciled and that Ms Hargaden had since attended Letterkenny District Court to have a previously placed barring order lifted and that this had since taken place. She also visited her husband regularly while he was in prison.
Mr Crawford added that Mr Hargaden’s alcohol situation had stabilised compared to what it was and that the couple’s relationship was “substantially repaired” and put on a better footing.
A report carried out on Hargaden by psychiatrist, Dr Benjamin O’Keeffe, said he found no reason why the offending behaviour was as a result of mental illness and he did not present as suffering from a psychiatric illness.
He did note however that he had “great difficulty” charting a way forward through his difficulty with alcohol and noted that he had engaged but not followed through with addiction services.
A Probation report carried out on Hargaden noted he had engaged very well and that he had encountered a “slew of services” he should engage with and that he has already started to engage with.
Other services such as the MOVE programme, Men Overcoming Violent Emotions, were also recommended to him.
The court was told that in relation to his addictions, Hargaden has been assessed by the Cuan Mhuire Addiction Treatment Centre programme and was high on their waiting list.
Mr Crawford added that he was likely to be admitted to the programme after a “couple of weeks” from being released from prison.
“There is quite a significant slew of reports and he is very willing to engage with all of those. He is horrified and ashamed of his own behaviour,” added Mr Crawford.
Hargaden took to the witness stand and read out a letter which he had written to Judge John Aylmer in which he said he looked forward to “a life of sobriety.”
He said he never considered himself capable of hurting anyone saying that himself and his wife “only have each other” and that he promised to look after her in every way he can.
The accused man added that he was “devastated” this had happened and that he was “making a promise on the solemn oath that this will never happen again.”
Passing sentence, Judge Aylmer said that before mitigation, the accused would be looking at a sentence of four and a half years in prison factoring in Section 40 of the Domestic Violence Act after placing it in the mid-range of such offences.
In mitigation, Judge Aylmer noted a number of factors including the signed plea, his co-operation while in prison, his full admissions and his efforts to confront his alcohol and psychological issues.
He added that it appeared that Hargaden’s time in custody may have been helpful.
Judge Aylmer referred to the Probation Service’s report as being “quite positive” and that he was placed at a medium risk of reoffending but that has all to do with his failure in the past with alcoholism and his psychological issues adding his previous convictions “tell a tale.”
“I accept and have listened to you carefully and I have regard to your letter which was unusually remorseful,” he added.
Referring to his wife, the Judge noted her attitude and that “she sees a future for you both together” as well as making reference to Mrs Hargaden seeking the removal of a barring order against her husband.
Turning to Hargaden, Judge Aylmer said this incident seemed “completely out of character” in that he had never come before the court in a case of violence.
He noted the accused had been in custody since January and that a “sufficient custodial period has been served.”
He added that he was reducing the sentence to one of three years and four months, backdating it to when Hargaden went into custody but suspending the balance of the sentence for a period of two years.
Judge Aylmer also directed that Hargaden spend the next two years under the supervision of the Probation Services as well as contacting Cuan Mhuire to begin his treatment programme as soon as a bed is made available.
He directed him to engage with the Community Mental Health Services, MOVE as well as exploring any relationship counselling or pro social hobby or enterprises he can.
When the sentence was passed, Mrs Hargaden came from the rear of the court and embraced her husband.
