Woman ‘opened door to see ex in bunny mask and holding cleaver’ before attack

Jamie French, 31, was denied bail after appearing before Judge David McHugh charged with assault causing harm to the woman and causing criminal damage to her home

A court^[1] has heard how a terrified woman allegedly answered the door to find her ex wearing a Halloween-style bunny mask and wielding a meat cleaver before attacking her.

Jamie French, 31, was denied bail after appearing before Judge David McHugh charged with assault causing harm to the woman and causing criminal damage^[2] to her home during the incident on August 12. He was remanded in custody^[3] on Saturday to appear at Cloverhill District Court in Dublin on Thursday.

Giving evidence at Dublin District Court, Garda Brian Law objected to bail, citing the seriousness of the case^[4]. French was accused of turning up at the victim’s home and ‘pinning her down’ before allegedly threatening to kill her.

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He stated the woman, in her 20s, made a formal complaint on September 4, accusing French, her former partner, of attacking her on a previous date, the Irish Mirror reports^[7]. The garda contended she answered the door to her home in Dublin to see the accused wearing a “Halloween-style bunny mask and holding a meat cleaver”.

She reported French entered the home, went to the sitting room and used the cleaver to damage her mobile phone. She told gardai the accused was extremely aggressive and pulled her by her hair to the floor and “pinned” her down.

The court heard he allegedly shouted, “I’m going to kill you, you’re dead”. It was alleged the accused had her on her knees by her hair and “began to make strike actions with the meat cleaver toward the back of her neck, but not connecting”.

The court heard he repeated this action four or five times, and she pleaded with him to stop, but he refused and “was foaming in the mouth in a rage”. Garda Law further contended the accused pinched her in the face and began to kick her repeatedly as she lay on the floor.

She said she tried to get up and run, but he pulled her back and began to smash a cooker and damage a window before leaving the property. The court heard she suffered a black eye and bruising to her legs, which had been photographed.

Garda Law informed the contested bail hearing that the mask and cleaver had been recovered, with pictures of them attached to the court documents. He described the alleged incident as a vicious rage attack.

The garda mentioned French’s phone showed searches about getting a ferry from Belfast to Liverpool, but later clarified this was before the alleged attack. Cross-examined by defence counsel Kevin McCrave, Garda Law agreed the complainant had not come to the bail hearing.

The defence highlighted that much of the evidence was hearsay, but gardai said the woman had not been able to attend and was traumatised. Mr McCrave suggested his client, of Clondalkin, could reside at a different location in Tallaght.

However, the judge ruled the State had established the necessity to refuse bail. The accused, who has not yet entered a plea, made no reply when charged on Friday and remained silent throughout his court hearing.

Directions from the Director of Public Prosecutions have to be obtained.