"He assaulted me, trying to make me have a miscarriage,' pregnant woman feared she'd lose her baby after casino boss attack
A casino boss has avoided jail for assaulting his heavily pregnant ex-girlfriend, leaving her in fear that she would lose her baby.
Jin Cheng (47) lifted the woman's leg during a struggle, flipping her onto her back on the ground, where he left her without calling an ambulance.
Judge Patricia McNamara gave him a three-month suspended sentence.
Dublin District Court heard the assault happened outside a Parnell Street card club when she confronted him to tell him she believed he was the child's father.
Abortion
Her baby was unharmed and was born three months later.
Cheng, of Buckingham Street Upper, Dublin 1 pleaded not guilty to assaulting Yan Yan Fan on September 1, 2011.
Judge McNamara found him guilty. Defence solicitor Conor Ruane said the accused could not accept the verdict and wished to appeal.
He no longer runs the casino.
Previously, Ms Fan said Cheng had paid her €3,000 to go to the UK for an abortion but then refused to take her calls.
She said he was spreading rumours in the Chinese community that the child was not his and she went to his card club at 12.30am to "clear her name".
Outside, she said, he accused her of looking for his money, they started pushing each other and another man stepped in and held her hands.
She said Cheng approached and she lifted her right foot as she thought he was going to attack her.
"He caught my right foot and lifted it up and put me on the ground," she said.
She hurt her back and elbow, saying: "I couldn't move because there was so much pain, I was crying."
"He assaulted me, trying to make me have a miscarriage," she alleged.
"I was lucky my baby survived," she added.
Cheng maintained Ms Fan grabbed him, kicked him a few times and fell.
"There is no way I would have physically assaulted her," he said.