Man (46) who imprisoned ex-wife in her home jailed for three years

David Raleigh

A man has been jailed for three years, with the final 12 months suspended, after he falsely imprisoned his ex-wife in what was a terrifying ordeal for the woman, a court heard.

Marius Juozaitis (46), of Claureen, Kilteragh Dooradoyle, Limerick, pleaded guilty before the Limerick Circuit Criminal Court to one count of false imprisonment of the woman on July 27th 2024.

Juozaitis’s sentencing hearing heard the victim had previously taken out a barring order against the defendant; however, it had expired prior to Juozaitis illegally entering the woman’s home as a trespasser on the date in question.

Juozaitis and the woman had been estranged at the time, but they had entered into an agreement that he could do jobs around the curtilage of the house, but he was not allowed inside the property.

Juozaitis illegally entered the house and went to sleep in a room at the property. The victim left to go shopping, and when she returned, she went to her room as she was afraid of waking Juozaitis; it was heard.

When he eventually woke up, Juozaitis cut off the victim’s electricity supply and internet and started kicking and banging her door and shouting at her to come out of her bedroom.

Prosecuting barrister John O’Sullivan, instructed by State Solicitor Padraig Mawe, assisted by Garda Cliona Ní Conghalaigh, Mayorstone Garda Station, said the victim was “terrified” and she feared Juozaitis would “break down” her bedroom door.

The victim said she heard a drill at the door to her bedroom, which the court heard was Juozaitis drilling a drill-bit into the keyhole of the door.

“I close you in prison, you won’t get out,” Juozaitis told the victim.

Juozaitis kept the victim in the room against her will for over two hours. The victim eventually contacted gardai who came, freed her and arrested Juozaitis.

The victim told gardaí that Juozaitis, who was intoxicated at the time, kept telling her “I’ll kill you”.

“I’m very scared of him, he shouts at me and calls name names,” the victim told Gardai.

Juozaitis had eight previous convictions for breaching barring orders; drink driving; driving without a licence and driving without insurance; attempting to drive while intoxicated; as well as a number of public order offences.

In 2020 Juozaitis was given a 12-month suspended sentence for causing criminal damage at the victim’s home and for breaching a barring order at her property, on March 2nd 2022.

O’Sullivan said during the 2022 incidents Juozaitis again illegally entered the woman’s home and splashed petrol around the inside of the property and set fire to a door, the fire was put out.

Juozaitis threatened to kill the woman as well as gardaí, and he barricaded himself inside the victim’s home before gardaí eventually arrested him and charged him in court.

Juozaitis was then given bail and returned to the victim’s home the following day, breaching the terms of another barring order.

He retrieved a bag of clothes and broke an outside light as he left.

The Director of Public Prosecutions appealed Juozaitis’s 12-month suspended sentence, on grounds it was too lenient.

The court of appeal agreed, and increased Juozaitis’s sentence to two years with the final 12 months suspended.

Juozaitis’s barrister, Pat Barriscale BL, said the defendant’s relationship with the victim and his family was currently improved, and he had not come to Garda attention over the past two years.

Barriscale added that Juozaitis had attained sobriety after he was informed by doctors “that if he continues drinking he will die”.