Man who threatened to firebomb ex-partner's home and break her father's legs is jailed

Eimear Dodd

A man who threatened to firebomb his ex-partner's home and to break her father's legs has been jailed for 12 months.

The 41-year-old Dublin man pleaded guilty to three counts of making a threat to kill or cause serious harm in May and June 2023. He cannot be named for legal reasons.

Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard that the man and woman had been in a relationship for many years, which ended before this offending took place.

In May 2023, the woman contacted gardaí about calls she was getting from the man.

In one call, he told her that she “better let” him speak to their child, or “I swear to God, I'm going to petrol bomb the house”.

He also told her to make sure the child was not staying there that night.

The court was told this threat was overheard by others, including gardaí.

Several weeks later, the child was due to attend a party. The man had made further abusive calls to the woman.

In one call, he screamed at her that “you are meant to be at a party, you are all lying to me”.

He started screaming and calling the child's name, asking where they were.

The child told the man they were in the woman's house. The man then said he was “going to go down and smash the house up”.

The woman's parents were present and the child asked the man to calm down. The victim’s father then intervened, asking the man not to speak to his daughter that way.

The man called the woman's father “a faggot”, said he was twice his size and would break his knees.

The woman told the man she would bring the child to the party. Her parents were going to go as well due to concern that the man might arrive at the party as well.

The man made further threats, telling the woman he would “never leave you alone”, that she would “never go back to that house” or to her job.

He then told the woman “when I see you, I'm going to cave your head in”.

The woman hung up. They went to the party, but stayed in the car for some time as they were afraid the man would appear.

He was arrested and detained for questioning in late June 2023, with nothing of evidential value obtained.

The man entered his guilty plea on the morning of his trial, the court heard.

In a victim impact statement read to the court, the woman said she has experienced emotional distress and anxiety.

She described the impact on her sense of safety and that her focus is on ensuring consistency and a sense of security for her child.

She said the man has complied with a protection order over the last two years and has not contacted her or family members.

She asked the court to put conditions in place to ensure her and her child's ongoing safety.

Her father declined to provide a victim impact statement.

The man has 39 previous minor convictions including two for violent behaviour in a garda station, possession of knives, theft and road traffic offences.

The investigating garda agreed with defence counsel that drugs and alcohol played a role in the man's offending.

It was further accepted that the woman indicated at an earlier court date that she would not like to see the man get a prison sentence and that there has been no contact between the parties.

Counsel said he is instructed that his client's sister received a cancer diagnosis around the time that his relationship broke down. His client was also experiencing mental health difficulties and everything got on top of him.

The man has a long history of employment and work available upon his release from custody.

Several family members were in court to support him. A letter of apology and several references were handed in to the court.

The man is doing well in custody and intends to complete an anger management course.

Imposing sentence, Judge Orla Crowe said the threat to firebomb the woman's home was “incredibly serious” and all of the threats would have been “very frightening to hear”.

The judge said the man threatened the woman on two separate occasions. She noted that the couple's young child heard overheard some of the threats and this must have been “utterly distressing”.

She said the threats were designed to “destabilise and unsettle”. The judge said the end of a long relationship is a “sad affair”, but “most people manage to do that without having to resort to offending of this nature”.

The judge said the court accepted the man's assertion in his letter that he did not intend to carry out the threats as sincere. She also noted that his mother's letter outlines her bewilderment at his offending, which she does not condone.

Judge Crowe said no evidence was provided about the man's issues with alcohol and drugs, but these were issues he would have to address.

She imposed an 18-month sentence, backdated to when he went into custody. She suspended the final six months on condition that he is of good behaviour and stays away from the injured parties for two years.

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 offers 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.