A Ukrainian man with a “significant history of violence” who came to Ireland in 2022 and was housed in state-provided accommodation kicked his ex-partner while she lay on the ground in a row over money.
Mykola Kaznacheiev (55), who is of no fixed abode and is from Donetsk, was jailed for five years and six months at the Circuit Criminal Court this afternoon after he pleaded guilty to assault causing harm contrary to Section 3 of the Non-Fatal Offences Against the Persons Act 1997.
Judge Elma Sheahan heard that the accused met the victim, who came to Ireland from Ukraine in 2023, on a dating app and that the pair were in a relationship for approximately two years from November 2023 to November 2025.
Garda Colm Randle agreed with prosecuting counsel, Eimear Delargy, instructed by Martin O’Donnell of Morgan Redmond Solicitors, that the assault had taken place on the 19th of June 2025 when Kaznacheiev, who was aided by an interpreter, went to his ex-partner’s workplace at 11:20 in the morning.
Ms Delargy told the court that the woman, now 40 years of age, was “getting some fresh air” when she noticed the accused “loitering” in the carpark before he approached her, whereupon she told him to leave as this was her place of work. He then proceeded to kick her in the groin and blamed her as “the reason he was on the streets” after losing his state-provided accommodation.
When the accused began “insulting” the woman and “demanding money from her”, she told him that she would not give him any more and went back into the shop she was working in.
Ms Delargy explained that in the past, the woman had given Kaznacheiev money for “flights” and other things.
The accused remained outside the shop while he made numerous calls to the victim, leading her to block him. The court heard that there were a number of items of clothing belonging to the accused in the injured party’s car and that she told him she would hand these over.
When she opened the boot of her Ford vehicle, he threw his rucksack inside and attempted to gain access through the driver’s side door. Noticing this was locked, he then tried the passenger side, but to no avail, as this was also locked.
He then asked the woman for money again, but was told that she had none on her before he “got angry”, began to threaten her, and told her that he would “break her legs and cut her head off”, Ms Delargy said.
He then grabbed her ponytail and threw her on the ground and kicked her at least four times as she tried to shield her head and face from the blows.
The victim, who was not in court today, said that he was demanding money while kicking her and that her fingernail was torn off while he tried to pull one of the two sets of keys she had in her hands from her. The accused took the shop keys thinking they were the car keys, before giving them back. The assault ended when a mechanic arrived on the scene.
The court heard that the mechanic advised the woman to make a Garda report, but she indicated that she wanted to go home.
When the accused came to her place of work the following day, he asked to charge his phone before a colleague of the injured party stepped in and asked him to leave. Gardaí were called after he became “very aggressive”.
The court heard that Kaznacheiev “informed on himself” by making kicking motions towards Gardaí to let them know what he had done before he was arrested, although he gave a different version of events.
Patrick Jackson BL, defending, argued that his client has no previous convictions in Ireland; however, the court heard that he was sentenced to seven years in jail in 1998 and 14 years in jail in 2008 in Ukraine.
After he came to Ireland, he worked in factories and had given the injured party money for a trip to France when they were still together, he said.
After he “had to leave” his state-provided accommodation, he was homeless and “became desperate” and was having “a psychotic episode” at the time of the assault, Mr Jackson argued.
When he was arrested, he was upfront with the Gardaí about his history of offending, Mr Jackson said, adding that Gardaí who deal with deportations had been in touch with the investigating members.
Mr Jackson cited DPP v Alexiou, in which a non-national offender had his prison sentence suspended on condition that he would leave the State for an indefinite period, saying that his client wished to return to Ukraine to fight for his country.
He asked the court to consider suspending part of his client’s prison sentence in exchange for his submission to deportation.
Having heard the facts, Judge Sheahan said that the accused had made threats to kill and cause serious harm, which was aggravated by his “intimate” relationship with the woman, which was a “significant and serious breach of trust.”
She noted the “significant history of violence in the accused’s previous convictions” and that the impact of the assault on the victim included “ongoing fear, anxiety, and distress”.
The court noted that the victim had suffered a concussion, bruises, and a broken rib while she was subjected to “degrading and humiliating treatment.”
The court marked a headline sentence of seven years before imposing an effective sentence of five years and six months, which is to be backdated to the 21st of June 2025 to give credit for time already spent in custody.