A man who punched a woman in her 80s has been jailed for six months.
Andris Zivtins (53), with an address listed as Princes Street in Lurgan but now, a court was told, living in Keady, was sentenced on a charge of assault occasioning actual bodily harm relating to April 2 last year.
On Friday, he had the assistance of an interpreter at Craigavon Magistrates’ Court.
Police were contacted on April 3 about an assault. When officers attended the woman’s address there was no answer at the door.
However, when they called through the letterbox they could hear crying.
The defendant then approached the address. He had a key and opened the door to police.
The victim was found lying on the living room floor with extensive bruising to both eyes on April 3.
She said the defendant “beat her up” the previous day when she had been out the back of a property in Lurgan. Blood spatters were found and “blood-soaked” clothing was located.
The pensioner received hospital treatment.
The woman said the defendant had been drinking tequila at the property the previous night at 7pm and in the back yard he punched her in the face causing her to fall.
The defendant, who had a record, pleaded guilty.
A defence lawyer accepted it was a “difficult sentencing exercise”.
District Judge Michael Ranaghan told the defendant: “Given the nature of this offence there is only one sentence of this court. You simply cannot treat a woman in her 80s in the way that Mr Zivtins has.
“He also has a relevant criminal record in relation to the same victim.
“An attack like that on a woman of that age deserves only immediate custody.”
He jailed the defendant for six months and a two year Restraining Order was also put in place.
