A man accused of holding his ex-wife against her will in his car for 24 hours and threatening to kill her has been refused bail.
The 23-year-old man allegedly “grabbed” her and forced her into his vehicle after he spotted her leaving a west Dublin salon on Monday at which time Gardaí issued alerts to ports, airports, and to the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI).
He appeared via video-link at Dublin District Court on Friday charged with false imprisonment, threatening to kill or seriously harm her, and breaching a protection order. He cannot be identified because one of the charges is under the Domestic Violence Act.
Detective Sergeant Niamh Guckian, from Clondalkin Garda station, objected to bail.
The court heard the man allegedly grabbed his former wife, threw her over his shoulder and forced her into his car before driving away. The car doors were locked and she tried to open a window, but he threatened to drive in front of a truck and kill both of them.
Marriage breakdown
The court heard he told her that if he could not have her “no one could”, and he would not accept the dissolution of their marriage in which she claimed she experienced violence.
Her mother had also believed she had been abducted after she tried to phone her daughter. A trained negotiator initiated phone contact with the man’s parents to open lines of communication with the accused.
The car was spotted and approached by PSNI officers in Enniskillen, Co Fermanagh, but the woman did not raise the alarm because she was in fear, the court was told. It was alleged he told her she had to give the police officers a false name or she would never go home. Gardaí are seeking copies of the PSNI's body-cam footage.
Judge John King heard she made an effort to flee when she was let out to urinate, but he had been supervising her and caught her again. Her mother phoned and allegedly heard the woman screaming in the background.
The car returned to Dublin and was stopped by gardaí in the west of the city after 24 hours.
The court heard the woman jumped out and the accused sped off. He claimed during the hearing that he remained stationary for 15 minutes but left because her father was there.
Arrest
He was arrested on Thursday and insisted in his interviews that his marriage was not over and gave an alternative account of the incident.
The detective sergeant agreed with defence solicitor Tertius Van Eeden that there was no video of the woman being put in the car.
However, there was some dash-cam footage of him being corralled to it, and she said the accused admitted he grabbed her and threw her over his shoulder. There were also witness statements, she said.
The accused did not accept the allegation and maintained the woman had opportunities to get away, when he went into a petrol station. She changed seats and remained in the car, his solicitor submitted. He argued that it was not credible that the woman would not say anything when approached by the PSNI officers.
Mr Van Eeden said his client would obey bail conditions and his mother would keep an eye on him.
The detective sergeant added the woman had marks on her neck. The court also heard the woman was not present for the bail hearing and has been traumatised by the incident.
The Director of Public Prosecutions has directed the case will go forward to the circuit court which has tougher sentencing powers.
Judge King refused bail and remanded him in custody pending the preparation of a book of evidence to appear again at Cloverhill District Court next week.
