A violent bully who broke down the door of his ex-girlfriend’s flat in Houghton Regis and then attacked her on her bed as she tried to shield her 17-month-old son was jailed for 14 months at Luton Crown Court on Tuesday, May 12, 2020.
Joseph Olijnyk, 33, had been drinking when he attacked the woman in the small hours leaving her absolutely petrified.
At one point as he crouched over her on the bed punching her in the face, she was holding her son and fearing she was going to die, the court was told.
When Olijnyk appeared for sentencing via a video link from the prison where he has been held on remand, the the court heard his victim is still suffering from anxiety because of what happened to her that night.
She fears once he is released he will come to her home again. Olijnyk of Dallow Road in Luton admitted assaulting her causing her actual bodily harm, sending her a malicious communication in the form of threatening text messages and using violence to seek entry.
Prosecutor Gabriel McAvock told the court how the nine month relationship between the defendant and the woman who lives in Houghton Regis came to an end in January of this year. The court was told she had found him to be controlling and violent towards her.
“He was constantly accusing the victim of cheating,” said the prosecutor.
Judge Barbara Mensah hearing the case was told how on occasions when the woman returned from a shopping trip Olijnyk would demand to see her receipt from the store so he could see how long she had been away from her flat for.
On one occasion the woman had even taken a lie detector test to prove to him wasn’t cheating on him.
Miss McAvock said how the defendant was also violent to the woman, pushing her to the ground, slapping and hitting her and using her mobile phones to smash them against her foot. He had even once told her: “I could put a pillow over your face and kill you.”
Even when they had gone on holiday to Barcelona, police had been called to their hotel because of his behaviour towards her.
The court was then told how on February 7 this year the woman was at her ground floor flat with her 17 month old son and looking after two other young children
That day Olijnyk telephoned his ex and asked if he could visit her so that they could discuss their future, said the prosecutor. She agreed and when he arrived he was pleasant and even cooked their dinner. But late that night things changed.
Judge Mensa was told the pair were sitting on a sofa when he suddenly demanded she take off her trousers. Olijnyk who had been drinking cans of beer and vodka pulled at her trousers calling her names. An argument followed after which he left the flat.
Miss McAvock said the woman went to bed, but was woken by her ex hammering on the door and shouting: “I swear to God answer this door or you are going to regret it.”
The court was told the victim eventually let him in. Once inside he struck her before leaving again. However in the early hours the defendant came back again and this time kicked down the door after telling her: “I am going to petrol bomb you and your f…… kid.”
The prosecutor said having kicked down the door Olijnyk attacked the woman as she held her child on her bed and with her phone to her ear. He told her: “I am going to prison for you,” and she believed she was going to die, said Miss McAvock.
The court heard she managed to kick him off her and somehow she managed to get him out of the flat.
Back on the phone to the emergency services she was advised to barricade the door until officers reached her. The prosecutor said the woman suffered a bruised left ear and face and had swelling to the side of her head. Her left arm was bruised and she suffered headaches.
As well as her own 17-month-old little boy, the two other children she had been caring for that night were also in the flat She was taken to hospital in the early hours and even there received threatening text messages and phone calls from Olijnyk.
Later that morning police officers arrested him. Judge Mensah was told he had a previous conviction for battery in 2011 when he received a suspended sentence for domestic violence towards a previous partner.
Mr Tomas McGarvey defending said his client had been remorseful from the outset as demonstrated by his early pleas of guilty to the charges. He said Olijnyk hadn’t wanted to drag the woman through the courts.
He was jailed for a total of 14 months and made the subject of a restraining order not to contact the victim or go within 100 metres of her flat in Houghton Regis.
