Dublin’s mother thought she would be killed in a vicious attack by her ex-partner
A woman who faced two violent attacks from her partner in six weeks said her attacker danced “like Riverdance” on her head.
im Kelly, 45, who suffered multiple domestic violence during her relationship with thug Ian McCluskey, 54, said she was close to suicide after the attacks but wanted to speak out to let other victims know that there is a help there.
“Call anyone, whether it’s Women’s Aid or gardaí or just a friend,” Kim said.
At Dublin Circuit Court, McCluskey, of The Plaza, Shangan Road, Ballymun, was jailed on December 21 for five years, one of which was suspended for two assaults that harmed Kim, threatened to kill her or cause serious harm to her , and witnessed the intimidation.
His friend David Corr, 41, of Ballymun but of no fixed abode, was sentenced to three years in prison with one year’s probation and threats to kill or harm her for his involvement in the second attack the intimidation of a witness.
Kim was labeled a “rat” during the second attack, which took place last March, after McCluskey and Corr, a convicted sex offender, tried to get her to retract a statement related to the first attack last January.
Kim said she had been threatened with death if she went to Gardaí after the second attack, and people called her home to look for her after she gave a statement.
She was so scared that she slept with an ax next to her bed and said she has since been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder.
Kim said she had been dating McCluskey for nine months and had previously been assaulted by him on numerous occasions, but the attacks escalated in January 2022.
“Ian started hitting me during the relationship but then I was severely assaulted by him in January,” she said. “He’s a total scumbag, but it was a good way for him to talk to me,” she said.
During the January incident, McCluskey — who has 75 prior convictions for offenses including assault, property damage, theft and knife possession — attacked Kim because she wouldn’t lend him money.
She told gardaí that she was thrown to the ground and then “feet came down on me like Riverdance.”
She went to Gardaí for the first incident, which took place on January 26, 2002, at his home, but spoke to McCluskey again and visited him at his home when the second attack took place on March 1, 2022.
“I got a really big caning from him and his friend in March.
“He asked if I would drop the charges against him. I said, ‘Ian, we’re after drinking, we’ll talk about it tomorrow.’
“When I got up to go to the bathroom, he stopped me and it just kept going from there,” she said. McCluskey hit her in the face with a closed fist and then Corr joined in “digging her in the back” while McCluskey “digged her in the face.”
Kim said the incident lasted for over an hour.
“I thought I was going to die. I thought they were going to throw me out the window.
“I was also called a rat for bringing charges against him for the previous attack.
“It was over an hour. I tried to run through the front door and was dragged back inside. I don’t know which of them did it because at the time I could barely see due to my eye injuries.
“They continued to beat me and threatened to kill me if I told anyone.”
Kim said she asked the men to stop, but they continued.
“It was horrific. I had to switch to survival mode. It got to the point where I didn’t even feel pain anymore because I was trying to find a way to get out.”
Covered in blood and unable to see from the beating, Kim asked the men if she could go into a bedroom to smoke a cigarette, which they finally allowed her to do.
“I went into the bedroom and left the door open so I could hear her talk. When they got into a deep conversation, I groped my way out and slowly opened the door. The elevator is in front of his apartment so I said I’ll go down the stairs.”
She feared McCluskey would see her leave the apartment and sought help.
Vicinity
Kim Kelly was taken to a women’s shelter after the attack
“When I finally escaped from the apartment, I asked two Irish people to help me and they refused.
“I was covered in blood at that point, really covered in blood, and they just said, ‘No, I’m sorry’ and walked away. I was refused help.”
Luckily, she met another man, who she believes was Eastern European, who helped her and took her to the Garda station.
“I don’t know the name of the person who helped me. I hope when he sees this, he gets in touch. I want to thank him.”
Kim had a litany of injuries and was hospitalized after the attack.
“The guards didn’t even know where the blood came from. I was bleeding from my head, my ear, my eye and my eyebrow, my lip and my nose. I had sore ribs. I had a neck injury because he choked me.”
“I think he tried to kill me that night.”
After Kim left the hospital, she went to an emergency shelter and while she was there, men began calling her family looking for her. She believes they were sent by McCluskey to force her to drop the charges, but she wasn’t there when they called.
“People came to my house looking for me. I had to go to a women’s shelter after the hospital and then to a safe house.”
The effects of the attack were horrific for Kim.
“I am still suffering with my face and eye. It still hurts so much i have scars I have what appears to be a permanent bruise from my eye to my cheek.
“You can still see the swelling there. I won’t look at myself in the mirror. The only time is when I’m doing my hair.”
The psychological scars are even deeper.
“I was diagnosed with PTSD because of this. I had to be talked off the bridge over the Liffey to commit suicide. I blamed myself,” Kim added.
She said she also only found out after the attack that Corr had previously been convicted of sexual assault.
“It kept me so busy – what could have happened if I hadn’t gotten out on time?”
Corr has 85 prior convictions for felonies including sexual assault, as well as death threats and aggravated burglary.
Kim said the fact that Corr joined the second attack made it worse as he had previously sympathized with her over the first incident.
“I still can’t really relate to someone who said they were a friend and not a fan of Ian’s because they knew what Ian was up to [the January assault].
“He saw my face and my injuries from the previous incident but then he went along with the second strikes because he thought it was free for everyone.
“He called Ian every scumbag and scumbag under the sun after the last attack. Then he entered for the second time. It is absolutely horrific.”
Kim said she found her judgments too lenient: “I don’t think it was justice.”
McCluskey wrote a letter of apology that was handed to the court, apologizing as he had previously done to Kim after other domestic violence incidents, but she doesn’t believe it’s genuine.
“He was laughing when he came back into the room after his sentencing, so he wasn’t really sorry,” she said.
Kim said she has hardly left her room since the December 21 court hearing and has not been able to enjoy Christmas.
“I’m still fighting. I’ve been in my bedroom since the day after the sentencing,” she said.
She said she fears the day her assailants will be released, but hopes to be able to move to another address by then.
Kim also encouraged all other victims of domestic violence to seek help.
“I just want to let people know that there is help out there. I didn’t think there would be any help when he started hitting me. It took me until I had a second big hit to realize it.
“Don’t be afraid to talk to someone.”
https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/crime/dublin-mum-thought-she-was-going-to-be-killed-by-ex-partner-during-vicious-attack-42258660.html Dublin’s mother thought she would be killed in a vicious attack by her ex-partner
