Drunk dad-of-9 attacked spouse at Hollywood Bowl then threatened to kill supervisor
James McDonagh, 45, slapped his wife in the face and threw her to the floor at Hollywood Bowl in Speke before threatening to ‘come back and kill’ the manager who tried to help
James McDonagh(Image: Merseyside Police)
A violent drunk slapped his wife and hurled her to the ground in the middle of a bowling alley diner, before directing his fury towards a manager who attempted to intervene. James McDonagh, 45, threatened to murder manager Jenny Hares as she tried to calm the situation, warning her: “I’m coming back and I’m going to kill you.”
The incident unfolded at Hollywood Bowl at the New Mersey Retail Park, Speke, around 9pm on January 19. McDonagh, his wife Briony McDonagh, and another man were drinking in the bar area, and were reportedly “very loud”.
Staff suspected they had overindulged in alcohol, and they were served one more round before being refused further service. McDonagh was then observed acting aggressively towards his wife, and Ms Hares approached her alone to inquire if he had consumed too much alcohol. Mrs McDonagh responded: “Yes, but don’t ask him about it.”
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Recounting the events at Liverpool Crown Court yesterday, Monday, March 2, prosecutor Zara Kayani said McDonagh’s aggressive behaviour resumed around 20 minutes later when he “grabbed [Mrs McDonagh] by the hair and began shaking her”, reports the Liverpool Echo.
She yelled at McDonagh to leave her be. When Ms Hares went to check on her wellbeing, she stated: “He won’t mess with me and if it wasn’t for the kids I wouldn’t be with him.”
She stepped outside for a smoke, and upon her return McDonagh “grabbed her by the hair, slapped her face, and pushed her to the floor”.
Ms Hares led her to a separate room before confronting McDonagh and instructing him to leave. He replied: “Get me the f****** police. Who do you think you are?”, before adding: “I’m coming back and I’m going to kill you.”
Mrs McDonagh made her way back to the vicinity, and McDonagh “lunged as if to hit her”. Ms Hares positioned herself in front of the other woman for protection, but was pushed aside by McDonagh.
She started collecting the glasses from the table, but McDonagh warned “You can f****** put them down or it’ll go in your face”. He seized the table and overturned it, causing eight glasses to shatter on the floor, resulting in £621 worth of criminal damage.
Ms Kayani said: “The defendant followed Ms Hares into the reception area and continued shouting ‘I’m going to get you, I’m going to kill you, get the police here right now. You will be sorry’.”
Officers were summoned to the scene and McDonagh was detained and placed into a police van, where he intentionally urinated.
He appeared at Liverpool Crown Court on Monday, where he pleaded guilty to two counts of common assault, two counts of criminal damage, threatening behaviour and making threats to kill. He also admitted breaching a suspended sentence, having been given a 13-month sentence suspended for 18 months for affray in October 2025.
Louise McClusky, defending, said: “It’s clear that the underlying problem is the consumption of alcohol whilst also taking medication for significant health and mental health difficulties.
“The update from the probation service indicated he completed an alcohol treatment requirement but that was of a limited duration (80 days). It’s clear that further structured work is required in order to address the defendant’s risk and behaviour in the contact of domestic abuse. I would submit on his behalf that someone with either a drug or alcohol problem is unlikely to recover in an 80-day period and needs support from interventions, and that hasn’t happened in this case.
“There’s an ongoing problem that relates to alcohol…which has a significant impact on his family. His family are present in this court today, including his wife, who appears in support of him.”
She explained that McDonagh, from Pendennis Street, Anfield, is a father-of-nine who had care of several of his children. He possessed 21 previous convictions for 36 offences including affray in October 2025, during which he allegedly hurled a chair at his wife in a pub.
During sentencing, Recorder Tim Hannon KC said: “It’s plain that your family love and support you. But the people affected by your drunken violence and threats are not limited to your family, who are themselves very forgiving of your appalling behaviour over the years. The central issue in your case is you drink too much and become violent and abusive when you do.”
He handed McDonagh an eight-month prison sentence, and activated 11 months of his existing 13-month sentence, resulting in a total of 19 months behind bars. He also issued a restraining order prohibiting him from approaching Ms Hares or entering Hollywood Bowl in Speke.
