A father of 2 has been jailed for knocking his ex-partner's teeth out with a hammer.

Brian Dunleavy of Ballybough House apartment complex in Dublin had to be pepper sprayed by gardai after he destroyed the woman's apartment and refused to put down the hammer.

Louise Rafferty was left with a black eye, bruising and broken teeth after the attack which occurred during a drinking session in her flat.

Dunleavy has 60 previous convictions and pleaded guilty to assault causing harm and using a hammer in an assault on July 1st 2011.

Judge Mary Ellen Ring sentenced the 36-year-old to 3 years with 18 months suspended.

She said it was a cowardly attack and told Dunleavy he was lucky he had not killed Ms. Rafferty or left her in a vegetative state.

Drinking & taking drugs

Garda David Graham told prosecuting counsel Anne Marie Lawlor BL that Dunleavy and Rafferty had been in a relationship but were not an item at the time.

They were drinking together and Dunleavy was taking drugs.

He told Ms. Rafferty that he had been in a relationship with someone else since they had broken up.

She told him to get out and he responded by hitting her with his arm which was in a cast.

He then got a hammer and screwdriver from a drawer and began smashing up the sitting room.

He hit her in the face and she could hear her teeth falling on the wooden floor.

He then grabbed her handbag and fled but went back inside the complex when he saw gardai arriving.

Dunleavy locked himself back in the apartment and began smashing windows and mirrors.

When he smashed the glass in the front door gardai entered and pepper sprayed him after he refused to put it down.