Man pleads guilty to holding woman against her will for four hours
Gordon Deegan
A man accused of holding a Clare woman against her will for four hours has pleaded guilty to her false imprisonment.
The court heard the 37-year-old man held the woman against her will at his home last November where she was forced to listen to accused inform her ex-partner over the phone that she had an affair with another man towards the end of their relationship.
At Ennis District Court, the accused pleaded guilty to the false imprisonment of the woman at his home in Co Clare on November 9th, 2022, contrary to Section 15 of the Non-Fatal Offences Against the Person Act.
The accused also entered a guilty plea for the possession of a kitchen knife, contrary to the Section 11 of the Firearms and Offensive Weapons Act.
Solicitor Daragh Hassett, for the accused, said his client was entering the signed guilty pleas on the basis that other charges against his client are dropped. Mr Hassett added that his client very much contests one particular charge, which he “would defend to the end”.
The two charges concern the man being charged with the sexual assault of the woman and threatening to kill her on the same date.
Signalling that the two charges will be struck out after the accused affirms his guilty plea for false imprisonment next month, Sgt Aiden Lonergan said those cases can be adjourned to a date in April at the District Court when the appropriate orders can be made.
The man is currently on remand in custody after failing to secure bail.
False imprisonment
At a bail hearing last November, Det Garda Donal Corkery told Kilrush District Court that on November 9th, 2022, the woman sat on a chair in the house for the majority of the time and, due to the aggressive nature and tone of the accused, “she was in constant fear of her own safety and frozen to the chair”.
Det Corkery said the accused was consuming vodka and cocaine and had told another person that he had used €700-€800 worth of cocaine in the days leading up to the incident.
The woman and the man had been in a relationship and in the days prior to the false imprisonment, Det Corkery said the man had been following her and messaging her to meet up to discuss their relationship.
Det Corkery said at 9pm on the night in question, the accused phoned the woman’s ex-partner and put the phone on speaker.
Det Corkery said the accused then disclosed to the woman's ex-partner that he was in a relationship with her and that she also had an affair during her relationship with her ex-partner.
The detective said the call lasted 15 minutes and during the conversation, the woman's ex-partner wished her happiness, adding all he wanted for her was good and if they were happy he would not stand in their way.
The detective said the woman got her phone back and after several failed attempts, finally managed to get in touch with a friend at 10.55pm, and was subsequently collected by this friend at 11.15pm.
