A Circuit Court judge wants a Sri Lankan immigrant deported, "the sooner the better", after he was convicted in Dublin Circuit Criminal Court for the third time of assaulting his girlfriend.
Judge Patrick McCartan described the man as a menace and said he wanted assurances from the Minister for Justice that a deportation order would be enforced against Ashoka Priyantha. He ordered that a representative from the Aliens Office appear to explain Priyantha's legal status before imposing a deportation order.
Priyantha was convicted by a jury of breach of the peace, assault of his girlfriend, Ms Serena Duphoon, and assaulting a garda who tried to arrest him, all on October 15th, 1998. His earlier trial on the same offences had to be abandoned after he became violent in court.
The court heard that since 1996, when Priyantha was declared an illegal immigrant, he had been given 12-month and 18-month prison sentences for assaulting Ms Duphoon.
He had also been convicted of breach of the peace, domestic violence and larceny of her possessions.
Judge McCartan described Priyantha as a threat to society and said deportation looked like the only way to stop him from attacking Ms Duphoon.
During a one-day trial, witnesses said they saw Priyantha shouting at Ms Duphoon in a fast-food shop in Drumcondra. He beat her over the head and pulled her out of the building by the hair. He was later seen pulling Ms Duphoon by the hair in Melbourne Avenue.
He stopped outside a pizza restaurant and knocked her head off the pavement a number of times while kicking and punching her. When arrested at the scene he head-butted a garda in the chest.
Mr Luigi Rea, defending, said Ms Duphoon had since given birth to Priyantha's child and said that in some respects a gun was being placed to his client's head.
Judge McCartan remanded Priyantha in continuing custody until December 10th.