Lurgan mum hit her ex-partner several times on the head 'after he refused to leave her home', Craigavon court hears

Lucy Reynolds, aged 53, from Ennis Close, who appeared before Craigavon Magistrates Court, pleaded guilty to common assault.

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The court heard that on May 31 this year around 6.15pm, police were tasked to Ennis Close in Lurgan in relation to an ‘ongoing domestic assault’.

When police arrived, two females and a male were at the property.

“Police separated and spoke with all parties to ascertain the circumstances,” a prosecutor said. “The injured party, the defendant’s daughter, alleged they had all been consuming alcohol and the defendant had punched the male in the property a number of times to his head and then proceeded to assault her.”

She clarified that the male injured party, the defendant’s ex-partner, made the same allegations.

“Both injured parties provided initial accounts and then later declined to provide statements,” added the prosecutor.

"The female injured party provided police with a recording from her mobile phone showing the defendant assaulting the male by striking him approximately four times to his head.”

During interview, Reynolds said she hit her ex-partner to the head as he was refusing to leave her property that ‘he hadn’t been invited to the property, he just arrived and that their daughter had allowed him access to her home’.

The prosecutor said the offence is aggravated by domestic abuse.

Reynolds’ solicitor, Mr Conor Downey, said the man who was assaulted had been the defendant’s long-term partner. He said his client was in court with her daughter who was also a complainant.

"It is accepted by all three parties that a lot of alcohol had been taken. The injured party had been asked on several occasions to remove himself from the property and had made various comments about the defendant’s family members. She had taken exception to that and carried out the assault upon him,” said Mr Downey.

The solicitor added that both his client’s daughter and her ex had refused to make follow-up complaints with police.

"When she was brought to the police station, she didn’t ask for a solicitor. She didn’t seek any legal advice whatsoever. She had made the admissions.” said Mr Downey, adding that the injuries to the male were “not that bad”.

Mr Downey told the court the same male had been removed from the house again by police earlier this week.

“He is on police bail conditions not to go to the house. Perhaps if all parties were to stay away from each other and obviously drink plays a major part,” he said.

"There is the aggravating factor of domestic violence in this matter, however perhaps Your Worship can get a feel as to what had been going on in the background,” he added.

District Judge Michael Ranaghan told the defendant: “Domestic violence is always serious by its very nature. This case does have a particular factual matrix and it is very unfortunate that your daughter was there. I’m sure she didn’t want to witness what she witnessed.”

The district judge said he would deal with the case by way of an “enhanced” financial penalty and fined her £350 plus the offender levy of £15.