Woman badly beaten by her son, Cork court told

“You are going to die here tonight,” a middle-aged woman was told by her adult son at the family home in the Kinsale area on Friday night, a court has heard.

Yesterday Garda Cormac Dineen objected to his bail at Cork District Court because of fears for the safety of the alleged victim.

“He is spending €1,000 a week on cocaine,” Garda Dineen said.

“He is extremely unpredictable when under the influence of intoxicants. He would pose a serious danger to his mother.”

The young man, who is in his mid-20s, is charged with assault causing harm to his mother and threatening to kill her after 10pm on Friday, October 10.

“On October 10, there was a call to gardaí that the defendant has assaulted his mother,” Garda Dineen said.

“On speaking with her, it was alleged that she had been badly beaten by her son, who also stated to her: ‘You are going to die here tonight.’ She also suffered abrasions to her neck due to him attempting to choke her, it is alleged.

“He was alleged to have consumed alcohol and cocaine, and was highly intoxicated,” Garda Dineen testified.

“A request was made for the Armed Support Unit (ASU) to attend and to assist in his arrest. Members of the ASU arrived at the scene and forcibly gained entry.

“The defendant was in his upstairs bedroom. He resisted, and pepper spray was utilised by the ASU, which immediately subdued him, and he was restrained and arrested.

“During the course of the arrest, a large steak knife was located on top of the bed he was lying on. It was underneath where he was lying. He did not use it.

“While his mother’s injuries are not too serious, she was extremely shocked by the incident and fortunate not to have suffered more serious injuries. During the assault, he attacked his mother, dragging her across the floor, punching and kicking her in the head, putting her in a choke-hold for a number of minutes. She made attempts to scream but was unable to do so. She eventually broke free.

“Injuries included swelling to the back of her head, bruising on her arms and on her legs.”

The accused said he had alternative accommodation arranged, and could go there. He said the knife in his room just happened to be there because he had a steak dinner some days earlier.

Defence solicitor Aoife Buttimer said the €1,000-a-week cocaine use dated back to 2023 and that the young man had been in rehabilitation since then.

The defendant said in relation to Friday night: “I don’t remember anything from the night. I am trying to make sense of it, whatever happened. I am not going to do anything to frighten her or make it worse.”

Cross-examined by Sergeant Aisling Murphy, the defendant said he had been back on drugs for one year.

Judge Mary Dorgan refused bail and remanded the accused in custody until October 16 for DPP directions.