All domestic abusers should be jailed, says victim

A woman who was subjected to domestic abuse by her former boyfriend has called for perpetrators to be jailed automatically once convicted.

Linda Feeney, a mother-of-two from Londonderry, spoke out after Patrick Owens received a suspended sentence last week for assaulting her - meaning he will not have to go to prison.

The 38-year-old victim said that the courts needed to take a tougher stance against domestic abusers to end this "epidemic of violence against women and girls".

The Office of the Lady Chief Justice said the judiciary understood that domestic violence had become a "pervasive scourge on society" and were fully committed to playing their part in countering it.

Owens, 45, from Summer Meadows in Derry, was given a three-month sentence suspended for a year at Bishop Street courthouse after admitting common assault on Ms Feeney in April 2024.

Speaking to BBC News NI, she said Owens had assaulted her five times during a two-and-a-half-year relationship before she finally decided to get out and go to the police.

The abuse escalated from "subtle put-downs" and coercive control to punching her, kicking her, pulling her around the house by the hair, spitting on her and strangling her.

She said Owens was a "complete charmer" when they first met and started to date but things started to go downhill within a matter of weeks.

"The first time that he was ever physical to me, I had just undergone knee surgery so I went to stay with him and he had spit on my face," she said.

"I made excuses for him where I should have just left.

"After that, the charm was back on, Mr Nice Guy was back out."

She said the second assault happened when she changed a profile picture on social media and he "went berserk".

"It was the rage in his eyes. He had grabbed me by the neck and strangled me," she said.

"The only thing I could pull off his face was his glasses and that was to make him stop.

"I genuinely thought he was going to kill me. Any man that puts his hand around your throat is a dangerous person."

Ms Feeney said the violence from Owens stripped her of her self-worth and confidence.

"People ask: 'Why didn't you leave him?'

"But it's not that simple," she said.

"Women do want to leave, but people need to understand that they've cut off friends and family, you feel like you have no one to turn to."

On 11 March, Owens was given a three-month prison sentence suspended for one year when he pleaded guilty to one count of common assault on Linda aggravated by domestic abuse.

She said the abuse that night started with verbal insults but soon ended up in Owens attacking her physically.

She said he grabbed her by the hair and pulled her around the house before pushing her to the ground twice.

Ms Feeney said she was pulled by the hair from the kitchen and was screaming for help.

"At the top of the stairs, he had punched me, he had kicked me, he had spat on me again."

She managed to get away and that is when she decided to ring the police.

Ms Feeney was in court when the suspended sentence was handed down and while she feels she has received some form of justice, she wants a tougher line taken against domestic abusers.

This, Ms Feeney said, should include an automatic prison sentence upon conviction.

As well as the suspended sentence, the court put in place a two-year restraining order, meaning that Owens is not allowed to contact, threaten, intimidate, harass or pester her over that period.

She said that gave her some peace of mind.

"It is an uncomfortable subject to talk about - domestic violence - but it is a subject that needs talked about to help other people," she said.

The Office of the Lady Chief Justice Dame Siobhan Keegan said the maximum prison sentence for common assault in a magistrates' court was six months.

Under recent legislation passed by the Assembly the sentencing court, in determining the appropriate sentence, must treat the fact that the offence is aggravated by domestic abuse as a factor that increases the seriousness of the offence.

Maximum sentences are prescribed in legislation but the Court of Appeal also set out sentencing guidelines for the Crown Court and the Lady Chief Justice's Sentencing Group issues sentencing guidelines for the magistrates' court.

It said sentencing in individual cases was down to the judge, who would consider the facts and evidence, previous convictions, whether the defendant pleaded guilty or not guilty, victim impact reports and the law.

If you are going through a difficult time and want to talk to someone or want help or advice, do check out the BBC Action Line website for more.