A pregnant woman who alleged her partner told her over the phone he would “make sure his child will not come into this world” got a temporary barring order against him.
When Judge Gerard Furlong told the woman he was concerned that may be a “veiled threat” to harm her so she would miscarry, she said she did not consider the man was capable of that and believed he was trying to “intimidate” her.
She found out some weeks ago she was pregnant and he wanted her to have an abortion, she told the emergency domestic violence court at Dolphin House, Dublin.
She said she told him she wished to have the child by herself and wanted to discuss his financial contribution towards that but he became “aggressive” over the phone.
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When he was taking his belongings from their jointly leased apartment in recent days, he pushed and scratched her, two males with him videoed her and she called gardaí, she said. She has changed her mind about having the baby and has taken steps to have an abortion, she said.
The man has left the apartment but still has a key and she is in fear, she said. “I’m really scared, I have no family in Ireland.”
Because of the alleged phone threat, the judge said he would grant the woman’s ex parte application (one side only represented) for an interim barring order, returnable to next week.
Later on Friday, the man applied ex parte for an interim barring order against the woman. He said he went to the apartment in recent days with two male friends to collect his belongings but some, including a laptop and clothing, were missing.
He said security footage showed the woman throwing some of them in the bin, some were damaged by oil spilt on them and some of his trousers were cut. He had a video of the damaged belongings and of the woman showing him a pepper spray.
She had tried to “falsely accuse me, she made it look like she needed pepper spray against me” and he “felt threatened”, he said. He said he called gardaí, they arrived some hours later and he got his belongings.
The judge said his evidence did not meet the threshold for an interim barring order and, in any event, the court could not grant such an order as the woman had already obtained one. He granted a protection order and directed both sides could be heard on the same day next week in relation to their respective claims.
The man said he understood he could not go back to the apartment.
Among several other applications on Friday under the Domestic Violence Act, a woman who alleged she has been subject to emotional and verbal abuse over years by her husband got a protection order. He calls her abusive names, including “f***ing c***”, constantly monitors her movements, spat in her face, sent her recordings of their baby crying when she was out, demanding she return home and asked ChatGPT to analyse her behaviour from recordings made of their conversations over six months, she said.
When the judge said the evidence suggested “very chilling” behaviour by the man which might warrant an interim barring order rather than a protection order, the distressed woman said: “No, he’s not going to be physical with me, it’s more the mental abuse.”
In a separate case, a man said his wife has made little financial contribution to their mortgaged home since he completed a personal insolvency arrangement and calls him “terrible things” in front of their children. She told him “a real man has to pay for everything” and, if he did not, he would not see their youngest child again, he said.
They have separate bedrooms and she has told him she wants to rent his room, he said. He believed she got a protection order against him “to put even more pressure on me”. She had threatened him she would call gardaí any time she wished and he feared she might misuse the order which could affect his employment.
The judge said he would, “marginally, and on welfare grounds”, grant the man a protection order.
