Woman tells Magherafelt court she jumped from moving car when it turned back towards a house in which she was allegedly choked

Before the court was 26-year-old Konrad Wawro from Riverside Gardens, Castledawson, who denies a charge of non-fatal strangulation on July 19, 2024.

The complainant told the court that she was attending a party / barbecue at the defendant's mother’s house and was drinking, chatting and having a good time.

She recalled the defendant approached her from behind and put his arms on her neck and started to choke her, but she was at first able to pull him off.

The witness said he came again with force and she was not able to move him or herself at all.

“I was paralysed. I was not able to do anything. I'm not able to say how long it lasted. After some time his uncle pulled him away,” she said.

Continuing, she said an uncle of the defendant and a friend then agreed to leave her home but when they reached the Castledawson roundabout they turned back towards the house.

She said she was crying, shouting and begging for them to stop and let her out as she did not want to go back to the house, and that was when she decided to jump from the car.

Konrad Wawro said in evidence that he had drank seven shots at the barbecue and recalled that the complainant was drinking beer and vodka.

He said she was “pretty drunk and could barely walk”. He recalled she was messing about with him and his uncle.

She was punching him on the arm, pinching him but, “that was only a joke she was just messing about as she was drunk.”

He said she touched his genitals and that he told her to stop and pushed her back.

He said he put his arm around her shoulders. “I was just messing around with her and did not intend to choke her,” he said.

Wawro said he did it a second time and his uncle pushed him off. He said he then went to check on the barbecue and when he came back the complainant was missing.

He added that he has known her for years and they never had a falling out and he would “not attack her or choke her.”

Prosecuting counsel said it was clear the accused had applied pressure to the complainant’s neck leaving her distressed, and it was clearly not done in jest.

She submitted that it would be safe to convict the defendant of the charge.

A defence lawyer pointed out the defendant has a clear record.

He said the defendant accepted putting his arms around the complainant twice but, he contended, this did not satisfy the high criminal standard required to meet such a serious charge.

After listening to the legal submissions, District Judge Oonagh Mullan said she needed some time to consider the evidence and adjourned the case until November 12.