A FOREIGN affair came to an end in the theology department of Trinity College, Dublin, with the arrest of an Italian man who "lost hiss head" over an Irish woman.
Daniele Petetter had flown from Rome to find the woman with whom he had enjoyed an affectionate "brief encounter" in Italy last year.
But he became angry when she would not accept a letter from him and gardai were called. Petetter (33) was arrested for abusive and threatening behaviour.
Petetter pleaded guilty to the charge, arising from the incident at the college last Tuesday, Dublin District Court was told.
Garda Michael Whelan told the court that there was a history to the incident.
Petetter had met the young woman when she was working in Rome last year. They became very friendly, but when she tried to go home, he locked her in his house and threatened her with a knife. She needed the help of the Italian police to get out, and to take a flight for Ireland. Since then, he has been sending her threatening faxes, the garda said.
On Tuesday, he turned up in the theology department at TCD to give the woman a letter. When she threw it back at him, he became very abusive and had to be arrested.
The man's solicitor, Mr Ernest Hanahoe, said Petetter had "lost his head over a very brief encounter" and added that his client had a ticket for a plane leaving for Italy that day.
But Judge William Early said his behaviour was "totally unacceptable" and showed "such a blatant disregard of law, and abuse of affection and intimacy" that it justified a prison sentence.
Petetter was sentenced to three months in jail.