A FEMALE teacher wept in court as the security guard of a ghost estate who carried out an unprovoked and savage attack on her walked free.

Alan Kilmartin (33) had pleaded guilty to assault causing harm of the woman at Acha Bhaile, Lahinch Road, Ennis on March 2, 2012.

He came into her home late in the evening and repeatedly hit her across the head with a metal bar. But Kilmartin, of Davitt Terrace, Cloughleigh, Ennis, walked free after Judge Carroll Moran imposed a suspended three-year sentence.

In the incident, Kilmartin called to the woman's home between 8.30pm and 9pm on the pretext of telling her that youths were interfering with her car, and asked her to check her water pressure.

However, after the woman had checked the water pressure, Mr Kilmartin had moved into her hallway and began to strike the woman repeatedly across the head with a metal bar.

Kilmartin repeatedly hit his victim across the head with the metal bar and the court was told that Mr Kilmartin kept telling the woman to "shut up, shut up" as he continued to hit her across the head.

After the man carried out the attack, he told the woman: "I'm sorry for what I have done" and "You call the gardai".

Shortly afterwards he left the apartment.

Father-of-two Kilmartin spent 22 days in the acute psychiatric unit in Ennis after the attack.

In her victim impact statement, the woman said: "People say I'm lucky to be alive. I don't feel lucky. I was attacked in my home and I feel that that memory will always haunt me."

Recalling the attack, the woman said: "I fell to my knees and Mr Kilmartin kept hitting me over the head with the bar. It was incessant and I thought he would not stop until I was dead."

She said: "I believe his motives that night was to concuss me and to rape me."

The victim suffered very serious bruising to her head, three very severe lacerations and fractures to her fingers.

Consultant psychiatrist, Dr John O'Mahony said that Kilmartin was suffering from a depressive disorder at the time of the attack and "is extremely remorseful".

Dr O'Mahony said that Kilmartin "can't explain his actions. It is abhorrent to him".

Dr O'Mahony said that a colleague thought Kilmartin's actions may be connected to para-somnia that is associated with people suffering from sleep disorders.

He said that no finding was made in this regard, however.

Kilmartin told the court yesterday: "I am sorry for my actions."

At Ennis Circuit Court, Judge Moran said: "It was a very savage attack. The injured party was very severely traumatised and she suffered very serious trauma."

Judge Moran said that Kilmartin has "no other convictions and he lost his job".

He said: "This was very odd behaviour and very difficult to understand and this is why I was interested to obtain the psychiatric evidence."

Judge Moran suspended the jail term on condition that Kilmartin complies with all requirements as set out by Dr O'Mahony.

The victim declined to comment when leaving court.

Irish Independent