A series of assaults by a Wicklow man on a woman over a number of days in his home last year was one of the worst cases of its kind he had ever experienced in court, according to a Circuit Court judge.

William Moorehouse (38) an unemployed father of one of Heatherwood, Bray, Co Wicklow was given a prison term of seven years after pleading guilty to threatening to kill or cause serious harm to his then partner as well as three charges of assault causing harm to the same victim between April 20 and May 1, 2023.

Moorehouse also admitted a separate charge of damage worth €220 to the woman’s mobile phone.

Detective Garda Tom Bissett told a sitting of Wicklow Circuit Criminal Court that gardaí became aware of the victim’s injuries by a nurse who had alerted them after the woman had been brought to St Vincent’s University Hospital in Dublin by her parents.

The court heard that the accused’s partner, who was aged 21 at the time, had suffered a broken nose, two black eyes and a chipped tooth  as well as extensive bruising, scratches and cuts to her face and body.

Det Garda Bissett said gardaí had also called to Moorehouse’s home after they had received a report from a member of the public of hearing screams and somebody being held against their will in the property.

However, he said nobody had answered when gardaí called to the house as the victim had been told by the accused to hide behind a curtain.

Det Garda Bissett said when gardaí visited the house on a subsequent occasion they found attempts had been made to cover up the woman’s blood that had been splattered on a wall by painting it with a sock.

The witness said Moorehouse was arrested on May 1, 2023 when he made certain admissions but also blamed the victim for attacking him in the first place.

The court heard the woman had recovered from her physical injuries but was still attending counselling as a result of the ordeal.

In a victim impact statement, she said she had become distant from many of her friends following what Moorehouse did and had fear and anxiety whenever she was in Bray.

The woman said she was scared to trust anyone and had even reduced the amount of work she took on as a carer for elderly people.

She also expressed fear that Moorehouse would come after her on his release from prison.

Det Garda Bissett told counsel for the DPP,  James Kelly BL, that the accused has 23 previous convictions including one for assault causing harm from a date in 2012 when he stabbed a woman resulting in her needing 26 stitches for which he received a suspended sentence.

Cross-examined by counsel for Moorehouse, Justin McQuade BL, the witness agreed that the relationship between the accused and his then partner was “toxic and dysfunctional.”

Det Garda Bissett revealed that Moorehouse had also become violent when being questioned by gardaí.

The barrister said his client had experienced mental health problems and drug abuse during his life while he also suffered from paranoia and sexual jealousy.

Mr McQuade said Moorehouse also wished to apologise unreservedly to his victim and he accepted his actions had caused her great distress.

At a sentencing hearing in Bray, Co Wicklow, Judge Patrick Quinn said he did not think he had ever come across such a level of violence in his time on the bench.

Judge Quinn described photos of the woman’s injuries as “horrendous.”

“The level of brutality involved is enormous,” the judge remarked.

He observed that the offences had taken place in a domestic setting over a number of days during which the woman had been terrorised into hiding behind a curtain.

Judge Quinn said Moorhouse had also threatened to kill her after she had been held in the house for three days.

He claimed the only mitigating factor in the accused’s favour was his early guilty plea given there were so many aggravating features to his offences.

The judge imposed a sentence of seven years for the threat to kill or seriously harm his partner.

He also sentenced Moorhouse to five years each for the three convictions for assault causing harm on his victim to run consecutively but suspended them for a period of 15 years on condition that he keep the peace and have no contact with his former partner on his release from prison.

The judge backdated the sentence to May 3, 2023 when Moorehouse had first been placed in custody.