Man admits false imprisonment and bleach assault on woman in Limerick

David Raleigh

A man threw bleach in a woman’s eyes and attempted to strangle her with a mobile phone charger chord while falsely imprisoning her in a flat in Limerick City, a court heard on Monday.

The man also repeatedly punched the woman and stabbed her with a car key during the ordeal three years ago.

The State accepted the man’s guilty pleas to five of 13 charges arising out of the attack, on the opening day of his trial at Limerick Circuit court on Tuesday.

The man cannot be named after the court imposed reporting restrictions to protect the identity of the victim.

Prosecuting counsel John O’Sullivan BL, said the man repeatedly punched and “stabbed” the woman with a car key outside a flat in Limerick City on July 18th, 2022.

The man falsely imprisoned the victim inside the flat and “attempted to strangle her with a chord from a mobile phone charger”.

Mr O’Sullivan said the man also assaulted the woman with a “tweezers” and “bleach”.

The man pleaded guilty to charges of false imprisonment, assault causing harm, and producing items capable of inflicting injury during the course of the attack.

“All of this is accepted on a full facts basis and it is acknowledged that the prosecution has entered a noelle prosequi on a charge of assault causing serious harm,” Mr O’Sullivan explained.

The prosecuting barrister said the victim, who was supported in court by members of her family, was “ready and willing” to give evidence in the trial, but she was no longer required to do this, following the man’s guilty plea.

Discharging the jury of seven men and five women, Judge Tom O’Donnell, told them: “Given the nature of the case, I understand that some of you might have found some of the facts distressing.”

Imposing reporting restrictions Judge O’Donnell said: “I’m going to direct that the name of the accused and the victim not be disclosed at this time.”

Thee judge ordered the man to undergo a psychiatric assessment, and remanded him in continuing custody to appear before Limerick Circuit Court for sentencing on July 28th.