Man who assaulted then-pregnant partner had threatened to petrol bomb home of another woman

Eimear Dodd

A man who assaulted his then-pregnant partner had previously threatened to petrol bomb the home of another former partner, Dublin Circuit Criminal Court has heard.

The 25-year-old Dublin man pleaded guilty to assault causing harm of his then-partner and making a threat to kill or cause serious harm to her on a date in August 2024.

He further pleaded guilty to making a threat to kill or cause serious harm to another partner in a separate incident in May 2021. He cannot be named for legal reasons.

He was on Wednesday handed a global sentence of six years, with the final 18 months suspended.

An investigating garda gave evidence that the man (then 21) and his first partner had been in a relationship for several years and had two young children together.

She obtained a protection order in the weeks before this incident, which had been served on the man.

She told gardaí that she had been receiving multiple calls from a private number on May 26th, 2021.

When she answered the calls, it was the man who initially asked her to get back together. She refused. He then asked to see their children and she again said "no".

The man said he was going to petrol bomb her home and did not care if she or the children were there. He also told her he was going to wait outside her home with a shotgun.

The woman believed these threats and fearing for her safety, went to her mother's house.

Garda search

Gardaí searched for the man in the area, but did not find him. Two days later, an aunt told them he had been checked into a residential drugs treatment centre.

This was confirmed by his solicitor and gardaí arrested the man after he finished the course in September 2021.

During interview, he told gardaí about his addiction, but replied “no comment” in relation to the allegations of making threats to this former partner.

This woman did not provide a victim impact statement and the court was told there has been no contact between them outside of family law proceedings.

Four of his previous convictions relate to this injured party and include two breaches of a protection order, criminal damage and assault. The court heard that these incidents occurred before events in May 2021.

In relation to the second victim, the man started a relationship with her after spending periods in rehabilitation.

The court was told she is several years older than the man and had children from a previous relationship.

On August 27th, 2024, she went to bed beside one of her children. The court heard this woman was three months pregnant at the time.

When gardaí arrived, they noticed she had bruising to her eye and red marks on her arm. The woman declined an ambulance as she did not want to leave her children.

Assault

The man was in the sitting room, having been on a five-day drugs bender. He may have continued to consume drugs, the court heard.

He called the woman to get out of bed, then questioned her about messages on her phone from before the start of their relationship and called her names.

She returned to the bedroom, then he dragged her out by her hair. During the assault, he kicked and punched her, telling her he was going to kill her stone dead.

He also kicked her in the stomach while she screamed for help. He knew she was pregnant, the court heard. He also threw her keys out of a window and threw her phone against a wall.

A friend arrived and told the man to leave. He said he would stick a knife in whoever came to the door, then said he would stab the victim's family and friends.

The woman's mother and other family members arrived and asked the man to leave. He called her mother names and said he was going to kill them all.

He was arrested later that morning, and was initially deemed unfit for questioning for a period. He made no admissions when interviewed.

The court was told he spent two months in custody before getting bail, which he surrendered in September 2025.

The man and the woman restarted their relationship and the woman made a statement of withdrawal.

She has since ended the relationship and provided a victim impact statement to the court, which was not read aloud. The baby was born healthy and is thriving, the garda said.

The man was on bail for making threats to his first partner at the time of this offence, the court was told.

Paul Comiskey O'Keeffe BL, defending, said his client has significant mental health issues, including suicidal ideation.

Psychological report

He outlined that his client was the victim of a child sexual abuse and handed in a psychological report to the court.

His client has made several attempts to complete residential treatment to deal with his chronic addiction issues and is drug-free while in custody.

He asked the court to impose a sentence which would help his client to rehabilitate.

Judge Martin Nolan noted that both incidents seem to have “much in common”, but said the court considered the second event was “much more serious”.

He said it was a “serious matter” to assault someone who is pregnant in this way and the “court must take it very seriously”.

The judge said it was aggravating that these offences occurred in the context of intimate relationships.

Having considered the mitigation and the man's personal circumstances, the judge said custodial sentences must be imposed.

In relation to the first victim, he imposed a one-year sentence. The judge handed the man a consecutive five-year sentence in respect of his offending against the second victim.

The judge directed that the final 18 months of the sentence should be suspended on strict conditions, including that the man place himself under the supervision of The Probation Service for 15 months post-release and have no contact with the victims, except with their consent or as directed by a court in relation to the children.

The sentence was backdated to when the man went into custody last September.

If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this article, you can contact Women’s Aid (24-hour freephone helpline at 1800-341 900, email helpline@womensaid.ie) or Men’s Aid Ireland (confidential helpline at 01-554 3811, email hello@mensaid.ie) for support and information. 

Safe Ireland also offers a number of local services and helplines at  safeireland.ie/get-help/where-to-find-help/. In the case of an emergency, always dial 999/112.