AN Irish soap actor has avoided a jail sentence after appearing in court for punching and biting his ex.
Patrick Fitzpatrick played the character of Zumo Bishop for six years in the popular RTÉ television soap, Fair City.
The 33-year-old appeared at Dublin District Court today, where he received a 12-month probation bond following the assault.
He had earlier pleaded guilty to assault causing harm to his then partner Theresa Gannon at his home in Ballymun in 2015.
The victim suffered bruising but recovered fully.
Mr Fitzpatrick also agreed to pay €2,000 to his former partner.
Mr Fitzpatrick told the court that he had been attending regular AA meetings and had been co-operative with the Move organisation, which works to limit cases of domestic violence.
