DOMESTIC ABUSER (32) JAILED AGAIN AFTER ASSAULTING AND STRANGLING HIS EX
A judge today handed down the ‘heaviest sentence’ of his career to Stephen Thomas Gracey, a domestic abuser who assaulted and strangled his ex-partner.The court heard that Gracey, aged 32 from Enniskeen in Craigavon, pleaded guilty to charges of common assault and non-fatal strangulation, arising from an incident on July 12 last year.
The magistrate court was told that this was not the first time Gracey had attacked a partner; several months earlier, he received a seven-month prison sentence for causing actual bodily harm and criminal damage after assaulting a woman by shoving her head into a stone wall and smashing her phone so she could not summon help.
The assault on his partner involved him coming into her home, grabbing her by the throat, pushing her to the floor, which restricted her breathing, and leaving her in a state of distress.
The prosecutor described how there was an ongoing domestic incident where Gracey assaulted her, and during police interviews, he admitted to being intoxicated but denied the assault.
The judge criticized the case's prosecution in the lower courts, expressing outrage that it was not sent to the Crown Court, where harsher sentences could be imposed.
Gracey was sentenced to 20 months for non-fatal strangulation and an additional five months for assault, with the sentence to be served as ten months in jail and ten on license.
The judge indicated that Gracey intends to appeal, but he is not seeking bail during the process.
The court highlighted the cruelty of strangulation as an assertion of dominance and control, with the judge expressing concern that victims face trauma and repeated court appearances due to the prosecution being handled in the lower courts, which allows automatic rights of appeal for defendants.
The judge emphasized that despite the convictions, the prosecuting authority opted to keep the case in magistrates' court, which is detrimental to victims of domestic violence, especially involving such serious injuries as strangulation.
The judge’s sentiments and the case’s details underscore the severity of Gracey’s actions and critique the judicial process regarding domestic violence cases.
