Man stood on bed and told pregnant woman: “All women deserve to be bate”, Cork court told

A man stood on a bed and threatened the pregnant woman lying there in the early hours of the morning with the words: “All women deserve to be bate”.

This woman and her partner had to barricade themselves into the bedroom after hearing the man rummaging in a cutlery drawer in the kitchen. He repeatedly stabbed the barricaded door during a 999 call that recorded what was happening over a period of 35 minutes.

Judge Sinéad Behan said it was an absolutely terrifying ordeal for the injured parties. Defence barrister Elaine Audley said defendant, 27-year-old Keith O’Leary had an underlying mental health situation involving depression and anxiety.

Judge Behan imposed a sentence of four years with the last 18 months suspended at Cork Circuit Criminal Court earlier today.

Detective Garda Dave Barry arrested Keith O’Leary and charged him with making the death threat to the young woman in the early hours of July 3. 

The defendant who is originally from Glenville village in County Cork, was also charged with production of a knife, damaging the house and resisting arrest on the morning in question in Glenville.

He pleaded guilty to the crimes at Cork Circuit Criminal Court.

Det Garda Barry said that after 4am on Thursday July 3 gardaí responded to a 999 call from a pregnant woman and her partner that Keith O'Leary was present with a knife threatening to kill them.

He had a large kitchen knife in his hand and was actively stabbing at the bedroom door attempting to force entry to the room and that the man was holding it shut, effectively barricading themselves from the defendant.

Det Garda Barry said a man could be heard screaming in the background of the recorded 999 call which lasted for 35 minutes.

The Armed Support Unit arrived within minutes and Gardai assessed an immediate risk to life and entered the property where they located Keith O'Leary who physically lashed out and was tasered in order for the arrest to be made.

During the incident the defendant could be heard shouting: 

"I'm going to get you" and "I'm going to slit your throat".

Keith O’Leary pleaded guilty to two counts of threatening to kill, under the Non-Fatal Offences Against the Person Act, production of a weapon, criminal damage and resisting arrest.

Judge Behan said, “He came into the bedroom of woman 14 weeks pregnant. He stood on the bed and made threats. The woman and her partner later heard rummaging in cutlery drawer of the kitchen, they barricaded themselves in, putting the wardrobe across the door. They made a 999 call as he was stabbing the knife through the door.” 

There was no victim impact statement before the court and no reason for Keith O’Leary’s behaviour was given.