Mother suffers horrific injuries in Donegal beating
A young mother was kicked so hard after a night out with her former boyfriend he left a footprint of his shoe on her.
Letterkenny Circuit Court heard the victim was left with a catalogue of horrific injuries after the attack at a house in Convoy, County Donegal.
Eamon Harkin, 24, of St Eunan's Terrace in Raphoe, locked her into the house and beat her for an hour and a half.
Judge John O'Hagan remanded Harkin in custody for two weeks.
The judge said he was "appalled" after viewing pictures of her injuries.
The victim said she sometimes finds it difficult to look at her son because he reminds her of her former boyfriend who beat her black and blue.
He spat in her face, called her a whore and then attacked her, leaving her with extensive bruising and a suspected broken nose and toe.
She said Harkin put his hands around her neck and told her he wanted her to die.
She said she thought she was going to die.
The victim only managed to call the police when Harkin went for a drink of water during the vicious and prolonged attack.
At the time she was a student at Cavan Institute of Technology studying to become a prison officer.
Gardai arrested Harkin - a trained butcher - at his parents' home, where he was sleeping on a sofa after drinking six pints of beer and a litre of vodka, the court was told.
The accused told Judge John O'Hagan at Letterkenny Circuit Court that he was deeply sorry for all he had done.
He said he would never have any contact with his former girlfriend again.
Judge O'Hagan said his plan was to remand Harkin in prison for two weeks and then to make his judgement.