Portlaoise Court: Woman claims ex-partner tried to strangle her

A WOMAN told a bail hearing at Portlaoise District Court that her former partner allegedly tried to strangle her.

The Laois woman was asked by Judge Andrew Cody whether she consented to her identity being reported on. When she said she didn’t, he imposed reporting restriction in the case.

The man was before the court on a charge of assault causing harm.

Garda Kirby Cox said that, at approximately 5am on the morning of 9 July, she was despatched to a house in Laois after an emergency call was made to gardaí about an attempted strangulation.

She said the details she received were that a couple had been in an intimate relationship for the past eight months. The woman reported that she was allegedly dragged to the floor and that the man had allegedly put his hands around her neck.

Garda Cox said when she arrived at the house the woman told her that, earlier in the night, the man had been in the bedroom where she saw him allegedly take benzodiazepines (benzo) tablets. She heard their dog barking and went to see what was wrong.

She said the woman told her that the man then came down the stairs and she told him that if he tried to get physical with her, she would scream for her sister.

Garda Cox said the woman said the man then allegedly jumped on the couch, pushed her onto the ground and placed his hands around her neck telling her to ‘now call your sister’.

Garda Cox showed photographs, that were taken within half an hour of her callout, of bruising on the woman’s neck and forearm. An ambulance was called and paramedics saw to her injures, but the woman declined to be taken to hospital.

Garda Cox said a short time later a man was arrested nearby, showing signs of intoxication. She said he was taken to the garda station but was declared unfit to be interviewed for six hours.

Taking the stand, the woman in her sworn evidence said she had been out earlier that night with friends.

She said: “When I came home, he started on me. I told him, I was not taking it and went to sleep on the couch. He came down, jumped on the couch, put his hands around my neck and sat on top of me. I got up and said to him, watch I’m ringing 999 and when I did that he scampered out the back door. I’d have no problem if he gets bail. He can go back to Dublin. I don’t want to go near him.” 

 The 33-year old man’s solicitor, Josephine Fitzgerald, said that if her client was granted bail he would go back to Dublin, would give an undertaking not to make contact with the alleged victim and sign on daily at a garda station.

Ms Fitzpatrick put it to the woman that, earlier that night, the man had agreed to leave the house and catch a bus, to which the woman replied: “I didn’t want to see him out. I told him he could stay and that I’d sleep on the couch. He said he’d catch the first train at 6am. I asked him how could he go on a train because he hadn’t the money to do so. I’m not a cold-hearted person. I’d be satisfied if he just went back to Dublin.” 

 Ms Fitzpatrick said the man now had no reason to remain in Laois Granting bail, Judge Andrew Cody attached the following conditions - that the man attends all his court hearings, resides at the address given to the court, stays out of the county of Laois, with the exception of attending his court cases, provides a phone number to gardaí and is available 24/7 to take their calls.

Ms Fitzpatrick asked for the condition to prevent her client entering Laois to be relaxed to allow him to consult with her, which Judge Cody denied, saying: “He is not to come into Co Laois at all.” 

 He went on to adjourn the case to 24 July to allow time for directions from the Director of Public Prosecutions and to “monitor his compliance with his bail conditions”.