Man who threatened to hang ex-partner’s pet dog has jail term increased

Fiona Magennis

A 29-year-old man who sexually assaulted and coercively controlled his former partner - including by hiding in her shed so he could spy on her and threatening to hang her pet dog - has had his jail term increased by more than a year following a successful appeal by the State.

Martin Gooney also sent messages to the woman’s family purporting to be from her expressing suicidal ideation, Ms Justice Isobel Kennedy noted on Friday as the Court of Appeal increased the 29-year-old's prison sentence from three years and two months to four and a half years.

The judge described Gooney’s offending as “grave” and said he had “destroyed” the victim’s “peace of mind” with his “extremely manipulative” conduct.

She noted the relationship between the pair had been marked by instability and allegations of infidelity from Gooney.

Kennedy said the pair moved in together in 2019 after which Gooney, who has nine previous convictions including three for assault and one for making threats to kill or cause serious harm, subjected the injured part to “periods of systematic coercive control”.

In her victim impact statement, the woman said she has developed trust issues and dreads starting a new relationship.

“To compare him to an animal is an insult to the animal kingdom,” she said. “This man caused harm for his own amusement”.

She said she still checks her surroundings to see if Gooney is present and constantly questions her safety.

“The gaslighting was so relentless, he made me believe I was losing my mind and losing control of my being,” the woman added.

The court heard that the victim wishes to retain her anonymity but has no difficulty with Gooney being identified.

Gooney, of Cappabane, Scariff, Co Clare pleaded guilty in February 2025 to coercive control and sexual assault. Two further counts of sexual assault were taken into consideration.

He was sentenced to three years and two months in prison by Ms Justice Caroline Biggs at the Central Criminal Court on June 3rd, 2025. A post-release supervision order of 12 months was also imposed.

Overturning his original sentence today, Ms Justice Kennedy said the defendant’s actions were “disturbing” and he was forceful in the manner of his unwanted attentions. She said the seriousness of the sexual assault was elevated by the fact there were three counts.

He had pinned the victim down, she said, and had used “vile insults” towards her that were not only sexual in nature but were also designed to “bully and undermine her”.

Gooney’s sentencing hearing was told he sexually assaulted the woman in March 2021, telling her afterwards that he wouldn’t touch her as he “wouldn’t know what you had, you're a whore”.

He was also verbally abusive to the victim, calling her a “bitch”, a “whore” and a “tramp”.

Ms Justice Kennedy said the coercive control continued for a “prolonged period”.

Gooney’s methods were “sinister and pervasive”, the judge said and were “manipulative in the extreme”.

She noted the defendant had threatened to hang the victim’s dog, had set up surveillance in a shed so he could monitor her and had sent messages of suicidal ideation purporting to be from the injured party to her family.

“His behaviour in our view constituted conduct of the utmost gravity,” the judge said.

She said having considered the aggravating factors in the case, including the fact that the offences were committed in a domestic setting, the court found the sentencing judge had fallen into error and the jail term imposed was a substantial departure from the norm.

Ms Justice Kennedy set a new headline sentence of five years and six months in respect of the sexual assault charge which she reduced to four and a half years after mitigation.

She said the coercive control offence fell “at the absolute upper level of gravity” and set the maximum headline sentence of five years, before imposing a final term of four years in respect of this charge, with both sentences to run concurrently.

She also imposed a three-year post release supervision order on the same conditions as set out in the court below.

Bringing an application seeking a review of Gooney’s sentence on the grounds that it was unduly lenient earlier today, Paul Carroll SC, for the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), said the headline sentence in both instances was too low given the gravity of the offending. He said the sentencing judge fell into error in not giving sufficient gravity to the fact that the coercive control and the sexual assaults were “ongoing”.

John Paul Shortt SC, for Gooney, said he “fundamentally disagreed” with the assertion that the sentencing judge was wrong.

He said the defendant was a young person with “his own difficulties at the time”.

Shortt said the judge was aware of efforts made by Gooney to gain insight into his behaviour during the course of his engagement with the probation services and had also read a letter of apology to the victim from the witness box.

He said the sentencing judge had given the defendant every opportunity to get his life back on track and any interference with that “would be wrong”.

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.