Woman feared ex-partner would rape or kill her during ordeal in home, court told

A woman has alleged that there was “madness” in the eyes of her ex-partner who she feared was going to rape or kill her after he assaulted her and cable-tied her hands behind her back.

The woman made her comments at the Family Law Court in Ennis, Co Clare, as part of a statement grounding her successful application for a domestic violence protection order against her ex-partner.

The 48-year-old man appeared in the District Court last week charged with falsely imprisoning the woman at her home in west Clare on September 5th last. The man is on remand in prison after gardaí successfully opposed his bail application.

Judge Alec Gabbett — who refused the bail application — told the woman on Tuesday that he was familiar with the case. “I can’t guarantee I can hold myself together today,” the woman told the judge.

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In her statement seeking the protection order, she alleged that she was physically assaulted by her ex-partner last Tuesday night at her home. Their five-year-old child was asleep upstairs during the incident.

The woman told the judge the man tried to kiss her, she refused and decided to go elsewhere in the house. She said the man stopped her as she was going to the stairs as he wanted to talk to her. The woman said she was halfway up the stairs when she felt two punches to the back of her head.

“He pulled me back down the stairs and dragged me to the spare bedroom. He pushed me face down on to the bed and cable tied my hands behind my back,” she said. “I thought he was going to rape or kill me. There was madness in his eyes.”

She said at this point she started to speak about their son and that she started telling him that “I still loved him and wanted to get back together.” After half an hour, she said, the man released her hands from the cable ties.

The woman later managed to send a text message to a friend, who notified gardaí. Officers arrived at the house a short time later and arrested the man.

The judge said he was happy to grant the protection order and adjourned the case to December.