Man accused of threatening to kill ex-partner by pouring boiling water on her remanded in custody

A 50-year-old man accused of coercively controlling his ex-partner for five years and threatening to kill her in various ways including cutting her throat, pouring boiling water on her and smothering her with a pillow, was remanded in custody today.

Judge Mary Dorgan allowed for the bail application to be revisited at Cork District Court today but she decided against bail and remanded him in custody until February 11 at an in camera hearing.

Child access was described as a trigger for difficulties with his ex-partner and he said through solicitor Donal Daly today that he would not seek any access so that this would not be an issue. 

Judge Mary Dorgan decided in all the circumstances to refuse bail.

“I am not for turning. It is up to him obviously to go to the High Court. I am concerned about the matter,” Judge Dorgan said.

Detective Garda Paul Cogan who objected to bail being granted to the man who is charged with six counts including coercive control, assault causing harm and four threats to kill the woman. He said the investigating guards were opposed to bail because of fears that he would intimidate her and witnesses.

The accused said last week, “They are making me out to be a monster. It is not true. Absolutely not true.” 

Det. Garda Cogan said the complainant alleged that her ex-partner coercively controlled her for the five years of their relationship, that he spat in her face, choked her and punched and kicked her in the body, called her a fat bitch and even assaulted her when she was holding their child.

It was alleged that she would wake in the morning to find that he had emptied bins on the floor and that he would punish her for not cleaning the house to his satisfaction. The detective said the defendant weaponised their child to say that the mother was “an evil bitch”.

Det. Garda Cogan said she was in constant fear of him when they were living together and that he would regularly ring her in work and reduce her to tears by the verbal abuse on the phone.