A MAN HAS gone on trial accused of slapping and strangling his then-girlfriend for “at least an hour and a half” and imprisoning her in his bedroom. 

Lloyd Saunders (32) with an address at Seven Oaks, Swords Road, Dublin 9, has pleaded not guilty to assault causing harm, false imprisonment and making a threat to kill or cause serious harm at Rathvilly Park, Finglas, on December 17, 2016. 

In his opening address to the jury, Garrett McCormack BL, prosecuting, told the jury this was effectively the first criminal trial in Dublin Circuit Criminal Court since March of this year. 

Kelly Evans told McCormack that she was in a relationship with Saunders at the time of the alleged incident. She said that on the date in December 2016, she had arranged to meet him at his address at the time in Finglas at 12.30am. 

Evans said Saunders arrived an hour late, was “very angry” when they went into his bedroom and had drink taken. She said he asked her to leave, but she said no as she was cold after waiting for an hour in her car outside his house. 

She said Saunders hit her in the face with his open hand three or four times. She said she stood up to leave and he said that she was not going anywhere after slamming the bedroom door.

Evans said he continued to slap her and began strangling her while she tried to fight and scream. She said at one stage he went to get a tissue to clean her face and said if she moved from the bed “he would fucking kill me”. 

She said that when he returned, he propped her up and asked if she was “ready for round two”. She said she was constantly being strangled and slapped while he had his knees on her chest, that he poked her in the eye and spat on her. 

Evans said the assault went on for “at least an hour and a half”. She said it came to an end when he let her leave and she ran out of the house, leaving her car keys and glasses behind. 

She said she made a 999 call after leaving the house. A recording of the call was played in court. 

Evans agreed with Michael P O’Higgins SC, defending, that she had issues with prescription tablets at the time and that she smoked cannabis.

She agreed her drug difficulties predated the incident, but said she was alcohol and prescription drug free on the date in December 2016. 

She agreed it was fair to say the drug use had affected her actions and that she had outbursts, but said when she met with Saunders in December 2016 that she had been sober for six or seven weeks. 

O’Higgins put it to Evans that she had told his client that she had been in a fight with a woman earlier that day, that the woman had slashed her tyre and that she arrived to his house already injured. Evans said that this was not correct. 

Evans denied that she pushed a locker against Saunders bedroom door when he suggested she go home. She denied the submission of counsel that she told Saunders she was going to blame him for her injuries as she was leaving the house. 

Counsel submitted that Evans was obsessed with his client and that it was inconsistent with her account of being in mortal fear of him that she tried to contact his client in order to rekindle their relationship. 

Evans said that she was not obsessed with “somebody who beats women” and said that she did not want to get back together with him. 

The trial continues tomorrow before Judge Martin Nolan and a jury. 

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