A man who moved into his partner’s home within weeks of first meeting her and forced her younger brother to move out has been jailed for two years for coercively controlling the woman, threatening to kill her and assault.
The man (24) also threatened to publish intimate images of the woman, who was 20, and at one point, when she managed to move out of the house eight months later, he sent her almost 5,000 text messages over four days.
Most these messages were abusive and threatening. These included a threat to cut her head off and one to “show the whole of Facebook” her private parts.
He had previously broken the woman’s nose during an attack and in one of these messages he said: “I will do more than break your nose this time.”
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The woman had previously suffered a miscarriage and he told her during these messages that her “unborn child is happy it is gone from you – a sh*t person like you – your mother never even wanted you”.
In relation to publishing the intimate image he said it would “be everywhere” and “you will kill yourself”.
On Friday, Mr Justice David Keane sentenced the man to four years’ imprisonment with the final two years suspended on strict conditions.
The judge said he had careful regard to the probation report and the most significant mitigating factor was the man’s plea of guilty.
The judge said he was entitled for some credit for co-operating with the gardaí and admissions in interview and his letter of apology to the victim. Mr Justice Keane noted the victim did not accept the apology.
A probation report placed him at high risk of reoffending in relation to emotional abuse and coercive control.
The Central Criminal Court heard how when the man and woman met, she was vulnerable, having suffered a significant bereavement.
The man moved into her rented home in Co Wexford within a few weeks and made it very difficult for her younger brother to live there, ultimately forcing the teenager to leave.
Over the course of their relationship, the man would pick her clothes, choose what foods she ate, would not let her eat pizza or cheese, called her fat, controlled her money and demanded money from her. She was responsible for most of the domestic bills while they lived together.
He pleaded guilty to assault causing harm, threats to kill or cause serious harm, coercive control and threats to publish intimate images without consent on dates between April and December 2022. Some of the charges came under the Domestic Violence Act, 2018.
The man made some admissions to gardaí following his arrest when screenshots of his messages were put to him. He has no previous convictions.
The woman stated in her victim impact statement that he controlled her phone and who she texted. She was not allowed to text without permission and he followed her. She said she had to have her location on at all times.
“One day he thrashed my bedroom after he thought he had seen me with a guy,” she said.
She said on the day of the assault, she confronted him and told him he could not control her.
“He slapped me and then headbutted me. I fell on the floor and begged him not to hurt me. There was blood everywhere. He was begging me not to say anything and said he would not do it again,” she said.
He would not allow her to see a doctor. She said after that she stayed indoors for two months.
“I felt violated, ashamed, disgusted with myself. He made me worthless,” her victim impact statement said.
She said she had suffered nightmares and sleepless night and had been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder. She had panic attacks and found it difficult to leave the house, the court heard.
The woman said the relationship affected her “emotionally, physically and mentally”.
“I don’t think I will ever get over what happened me,” she said.
In court a detective agreed with Colman Cody SC, defending, that his client had written a letter of apology, but the woman was unwilling to accept it.
Mr Cody said the letter indicated his client’s “remorse and insight into his actions”.
The court heard the man told gardaí he was “hot-headed” and while he never sent the images he accepted he had said he would. He said he was sorry for the way he behaved.
The man accepted in Garda interview he had sent threatening messages, but said he would never have carried them out.
Mr Cody said his client had “a very immature mindset” at the time to the relationship.
He said the man was in a new relationship and the couple were expecting their first child. Mr Cody said this woman was aware of the case against the accused.
