North Belfast man who hit partner in face with chair during drink and drugs binge sentenced

A North Belfast man who hit his partner in the face with a chair during a drink and drugs binge has been jailed for 15 months.

Judge Patrick Lynch KC told Craig Smith he will spend a further 27 months on supervised licence with the Probation Board on his release from prison.

The 52-year-old, of Ohio Street, was found guilty by a jury at Belfast Crown Court recently of wounding his partner. The jury found him not guilty of strangulation but found him guilty on the alternative count of common assault.

During the trial the jury heard from the victim that she had known Craig for about a year and he moved into her home seven months before the attack. She said they were in the kitchen in the early hours of August 24, 2023 and they had been home all evening.

The injured party said they had been drinking wine and vodka and they were also taking cocaine. She told the jury that Craig was "very angry, a very jealous person and gets paranoid''.

The court heard the couple had an argument about money while sitting facing each other at the kitchen table. She recalled that it was at this point Craig "lifted a chair and threw it at my head near my left temple''.

The victim said there was "a lot of blood'' and she pressed a tea towel to her head to stem the flow of blood. Craig apologised but then grabbed his partner by the throat and pushed her down on to a chair. She told the jury that she "thought I was going to die''.

Judge Lynch said the jury did not accept that the defendant intended to strangle his partner and acquitted him of that charge but convicted him of the offence of common assault.

During an interview with the Probation Board for the preparation of a pre-sentence report, Craig described his relationship with his then partner as "toxic''.

Craig has 15 entries on his criminal record which included offences of assault and assault occasioning actual bodily harm. He was assessed by the Probation Board as a high likelihood of reoffending but believed he did not pose a danger to the public in the future.

Defence counsel Michael Boyd said Craig had a "number of difficulties'' over the last number of years.

Mr Boyd added: "He has struggled with drug abuse. There were periods when he had success in addressing that. The court heard in graphic detail the sort of lifestyle that was being led at the time these offences took place and both he and his partner were engaged in heavy drug misuse.

"That forms some relevant background to the way he conducted himself on the day in question and the offences the jury convicted him of.'' He added that while in custody Craig "put his time to good use'' and was involved in extra curricular activities and has been focusing on "getting himself free from drugs once and for all.''

"He does appear to be highly motivated to make positive changes to his life and lifestyle when he is released from custody.''

Judge Lynch noted: "This is a domestic violence case. According to the pre-sentence report, the defendant does not accept that he is guilty of the violence he was convicted of.''

He said a serious aggravating factor was that the victim was "attacked by her partner in her own home where she should have felt most at ease and felt most secure''. After handing down the 42 month sentence, Judge Lynch imposed a three-year restraining order on Craig.

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