A convicted murderer who tried to suffocate his wife after a New Year’s Eve party at their home in West Cork has received an 18 month suspended sentence.
His wife returned home from work at about 5pm. That night they had some friends over for the New Year festivities. They drank beer and Jameson whiskey. Garda O’Sullivan said Rucinskas forced his wife’s face down on to a bed and pushed it in to the mattress to the point that she was in danger of suffocation.
Garda O’Sullivan said that Rucinskas tried to rip off his wife’s eyelash extensions. He told her that if he got €2,000 from her the next day he would stay out of her life. The court heard that the defendant had a number of previous convictions from his native country including a a 15-year sentence imposed in 2000 for pre-meditated murder and a false imprisonment charge.Mr Rucinskas was previously remanded in custody for over a year in relation to the incident until his release in February of this year at which time he moved to Cork city. On that occasion he was ordered to stay out of Castletownbere.