A Dublin man remains in a relationship with his partner whom he pleaded guilty to coercively controlling over three years ago, a court has heard.
The 25-year-old Dublin man pleaded guilty to one count of coercive control on dates between December 26th, 2019 and August 4th, 2020.
A local garda told Garrett Baker SC, prosecuting, the man and the complainant remain in a relationship and the woman now denies she was subjected to coercive control.
The court heard there were repeated incidents in which the man struck the woman, called her names and made threats towards her during the period in question.
The first incident occurred on December 26th, 2019, when the man accused the complainant of cheating on him. The court heard he gave her a “dig” during which her finger was injured, requiring medical treatment.
During an argument on March 19th, the man pushed her and referred to some mental health difficulties experienced by the woman, before saying he would smash her head into a mirror. The woman told him she would do it first, and he pushed her away, striking her on the stomach.
The court heard the man then put a pillow over her head and told her that he would “kill her” as it was the “only way he would be happy”.
Threats
On a separate occasion, the complainant's mother arrived after being contacted by a friend. The man called her a “scumbag” and a “rat”. He then threatened her and said he'd “shoot you and everyone belonging to you, pack of g**bags”.
The complainant and her mother went to a Garda station, where she was observed to be visibly upset. Her mother then made a formal complaint about the threat made.
In another incident, the man put a bolt-cutters towards the woman's neck, before putting it down and pushing her.
The court heard the woman told him it was the “last time he would put his hands on her”. The man then became upset and started crying, and said if she left him, he would kill himself.
The couple then walked to a nearby park where the man called her a “trouble-raising tramp” and assaulted her. They went to a shop where they had a disagreement. He told her the only way “she was getting away from him is if she died and he was the one to do it”.
The woman made a complaint to gardaí following this.
In June 2020, the man hit the woman while she was driving. He said he would turn the car towards a tree and went to grab the steering wheel.
In early August, the man accused her of cheating on him while they were staying at a B&B. He pushed her then struck her. The violence continued up to nine times during the night.
He also became annoyed when the woman did not respond while in the toilet. He then pushed her onto the bed and hit her on the head and arms. She was very afraid, but fell asleep. The next morning, he said he loved her and was cuddling her.
The woman said she had to ask his permission to use the shower. On one occasion, she had to urinate into a glass as he did not want her to leave the room.
'Broken heart'
In the final incident, the man pushed her onto the bed and told her to admit cheating. He gave her a “dig” to the face, and she kicked him off.
He told her it was all her fault, that she had “broken his heart” and “destroyed his life”. She managed to leave the room and contact gardaí.
Photos of her injuries were handed into the court. The man was arrested and interviewed on two occasions in May 2020, during which he denied the offending.
No victim impact statements were submitted to the court. Mr Baker told the court the woman later told gardaí she wished to withdraw her statement. She said she was on medication at the time and now maintains there was no coercive control.
The man has 48 previous convictions including for theft and criminal damage, mainly at the District Court. He was on bail at the time of these incidents.
The garda agreed with Aidan Doyle SC, defending, that his client has spent just over 13 months in custody on this matter.
Mr Doyle suggested that both parties' lives were “out of control” during this period due to “drug addiction, thefts and shoplifting”. The garda said she was not aware of any addiction issues and noted that the man was involved in thefts at that time.
Mr Doyle told the court that his client left school before completing his Leaving Certificate. He participated in charity work overseas while in school and later attended a residential educational centre. He has worked in building and scaffolding.
Letters from the complainant and the man were handed into the court. Mr Doyle suggested to the court that these show their “lives were out of control” at that time. His client has engaged with drug counselling while in custody.
A letter from a drugs counsellor and urine analysis were handed to the court.
Mr Doyle said it was “undoubtedly a coercive relationship” and “the court may feel more comfortable if the relationship is over”.
Mr Doyle said the man's guilty plea was of additional value as it meant the State was not in the “difficult and unusual situation” of trying to prosecute the man while the woman denied anything had happened.
Unusual
Judge Orla Crowe said this was an “unusual case in some respects” but “depressingly familiar” in others.
She noted that the complainant is still in a relationship with the man and that during this period, their relationship descended into “considerable upheaval, instability and then into criminal offending”.
The judge noted that the photos show the bruising “was not self-inflicted”. She said the man treated the woman in a “humiliating way” by forcing her to urinate in a glass. She noted that the woman's letter stated they were homeless from time to time and dealing with a cannabis addiction.
She said the man had a “life of promise” when younger and demonstrated a “capacity to engage positively with the world.”
She said the aggravating features included the threats made to someone “who loves him and still loves him”.
Judge Crowe handed him a two-year sentence and ordered he is given credit for time already served on this matter.
A separate charge of making threats to kill or cause serious harm to the complainant's mother was taken into consideration. Judge Crowe said she considered this aspect to be serious as the mother had “only been doing what any mother would do if they saw their daughter in that situation”.
If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this article, you can contact Women’s Aid (24-hour freephone helpline at 1800-341 900, email helpline@womensaid.ie) or Men’s Aid Ireland (confidential helpline at 01-554 3811, email hello@mensaid.ie) for support and information.
Safe Ireland also outlines a number of local services and helplines at safeireland.ie/get-help/where-to-find-help/. In the case of an emergency, always dial 999/112.
