A Belfast man who smashed his way into his ex-partner’s house then attacked her in the presence of their six-year old daughter has been jailed.
As Gerard McAllister was sentenced for three offences aggravated by domestic abuse, a CCTV recording of the incident was played at Belfast Crown Court.
In the footage, described as “harrowing” by a Crown barrister, the youngster can be heard screaming and crying in an upstairs bedroom whilst her father beats her mother with a weightlifting bar bell in the front garden.
The 43-year old, who served a prison sentence for attempting to murder another former partner in 2003, was deemed a dangerous offender by both Probation and Judge Philip Gilpin.