Donatas Jankauskas, 44, has been charged with assault, with police alleging in court that he was intoxicated and aggressive
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NEED TO KNOW
- A man has been charged with assault after allegedly strangling his housemate at their home in Dublin, Ireland
- The woman was reportedly forced to “play dead” until she was able to make an SOS call to the police and “scream” down the line
- Donatas Jankauskas, 44, is also accused of assaulting a police officer, resisting arrest and criminal damage, which he has denied
A woman was forced to "play dead" while allegedly being strangled by her housemate at their rented home in Dublin, Ireland.
On Saturday, May 30, Donatas Jankauskas, 44, was charged with assaulting the woman, who lived alongside him in the house in the Santry neighborhood of the Irish capital, The Irish Independent and The Irish Times reported. Jankauskas was the main tenant and had sublet a room to the woman for about a year, the outlets added.
The city's District Court heard on Monday, June 1, that, just after 4:00 a.m. local time on Saturday, police received a phone call from the woman, who was "screaming" down the phone for assistance, The Irish Independent reported.
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Four police officers met the victim, who was in a state of distress, the outlet added.
Officer Sean Lally told the court on Monday that the woman's room appeared ransacked and alleged that Jankauskas had broken a mirror and a bed. Lally added that the woman also had facial bruising, per The Irish Independent.
The Lithuanian national was still on the property, and was allegedly intoxicated and aggressive. He also allegedly resisted arrest and told Lally to "f—k off" and kicked another police officer with "full force, causing harm," The Irish Independent reported.
The woman told police through a Turkish interpreter, per the outlet, that there was a knock on her door before Jankauskas allegedly barged into her room and "swung her around so her back was to his chest."
In her statement to the court, the woman said Jankauskas put his arm around her, "choking her and causing her to lose breath."
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The truck driver then allegedly threw her at the mirror and the bed, The Irish Times reported. The woman tried to bite his finger to get him to stop choking her, the outlet added.
According to Lally, she then decided to play dead, before activating an SOS call on her phone and screaming down the line for help.
The alleged incident lasted around six minutes and during this time the woman thought she was going to die, she told the authorities, per The Irish Independent.
Lally told the court, via The Irish Independent, that he opposed bail for Jankauskas, and told Judge Áine Clancy that the case involved "an extreme, harrowing assault by means of strangulation."
Jankauskas was later denied bail and is also accused of assaulting a police officer, resisting arrest and criminal damage. He has denied all charges, the outlets reported.
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The woman did not attend the hearing and is currently living in temporary emergency accommodation, per The Irish Independent.
Jankauskas is set to appear at Colverhill District Court in Dublin on Wednesday, June 3. Speaking on Monday, the judge said the case may move up to the Circuit Court, which has greater sentencing powers.
If you are experiencing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or go to thehotline.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.
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