A mother of three from Co Clare expressed her terror towards a man that allegedly assaulted her, leading to a hospitalisation due to a bleed in her brain. During a hearing at the Ennis Family Law Court, Judge Alec Gabbett gave the woman a five-year safety order against the accused man, surpassing the typical three-year orders due to the violent nature of the alleged attack.
In her application for the safety order, the woman detailed the beating by her former partner that resulted in a hospitalisation, a brain bleed and multiple bruising. As she described her ordeal of being locked in a room, Judge Gabbett made an effort to console her and inquire about her well-being. When the woman admitted to being pretty bad, dealing with short-term memory loss, unstoppable headaches and an utterly ruined social life, Judge Gabbett confirmed her fear of the man.
The lady also divulged that the accused has previous convictions on various counts, including public order, and was a heroin user. Even though she hasn’t seen him following the alleged assault, she is surprised that he hasn’t been apprehended yet as she lodged her statement with the Gardaí.
Besides, she revealed that the Garda on the case hasn’t arrested him waiting for the medical report, which is delayed since March. In a separate case, another woman from Limerick displayed photographs of a bite assault from her ex-boyfriend to Judge Gabbett who, after viewing the evidence, validated the seriousness of her allegations.
The court was shown a photograph that revealed between three to four bite marks. It was detailed that one such bite was so severe that the woman was required to seek medical attention at a hospital due to the threat of infection. In response to whether the woman was scared of the man in question, she confirmed she was indeed. Judge Gabbett subsequently provided her with a safety order, effective for three years.