A 54-YEAR-OLD Dublin man accused of striking an ex-partner on the head and body more than 20 times with a metal U-lock for a bicycle has been denied bail.

Gerard Byrne from Dolphin House, Rialto, Dublin 8, was charged with assault causing harm to the woman, 36, at Digges Lane, Dublin 2, in the early hours of Sunday.

He was remanded in custody by Judge Paula Murphy at Dublin District Court today.

Garda Shane McConkey objected to bail due to the seriousness of the case and concerns for the witness.

He said the incident happened around 12.15am when the woman was sitting in a doorway and was approached by a male on a bicycle.

The man produced a metal u-lock and hit her multiple times on her head and face as she “screamed for help”.

The male allegedly told her to shut up, “and that he was going to kill her”.

Garda McConkey stated the attacker proceeded to strike her 20 times on her head and body and fled on his bicycle.

The injured party was in hospital for two days and suffered deep lacerations to the back of her head, bruising to numerous parts of her body, particularly bad bruising to her legs, and a broken wrist.

The court heard that she told the gardaí she knew the accused, identified him as the attacker, and had once rented a room from him at his Dolphin House address. The court also heard they had been in a relationship previously.

Questioned by defence counsel Garrett Casey, the garda confirmed that there were no other witnesses at present, and, explaining the woman’s absence from the bail hearing, he said that she was not in the right “head space” to attend.

The barrister emphasised that his client asserts the person in the video evidence wore clothing of a different colour from the clothes seized from his home during the Garda search. He submitted that his client faced a lengthy period awaiting trial on a charge in which he enjoyed the presumption of innocence.

Mr Casey submitted that there was no evidence of his client having ever interfered with a witness.

The judge heard that Mr Byrne, who did not address the court, acted as a carer for an elderly man and would obey any bail terms imposed by the court.

However, the judge held that the garda had established the objections to bail and refused the defence application. Mr Byrne, who was eligible for legal aid, will appear at Cloverhill District Court next week. Directions from the Director of Public Prosecutions are to be sought.