A woman’s ex-boyfriend allegedly threatened her life, assaulted her and uploaded intimate images of her to the internet in a string of recent abusive incidents, a court has heard.
The woman, who appeared before Judge Gerard Furlong at Dublin District Family Court on Friday, said she was seeking emergency protection from the court as she feared becoming “just another statistic”, alluding to her ex-partner’s alleged violence towards her.
In a statement to the court, the woman outlined various instances of emotional and physical abuse allegedly committed by her ex-partner. She said they were in a relationship for nine months in 2022, before later rekindling the relationship on a casual basis.
In one incident, the man showed up to her apartment drunk, before later allegedly assaulting her in her bed, leaving her bleeding and with a black eye.
In another alleged incident, the woman said her ex-partner accused her of sleeping with a friend and threatened to kill her if she did not give him the friend’s name and address.
She said she was avoiding relationships and friendships out of fear of what her ex-partner would do to people she is associated with. This has left her feeling isolated and fearful, she told the judge.
When the woman said her ex-partner allegedly posted intimate photos of her on a website, the judge advised her this would be a criminal offence.
The woman said her ex-partner is very possessive and abuses alcohol and drugs.
She told the judge she felt she needed to seek a court order because she feared becoming “just another statistic”.
The judge granted the protection order sought while only the woman was represented in court.
In a separate case, a mother was granted a temporary order banning her adult son from her home.
The judge granted the order after hearing evidence of the man’s severe schizophrenia.
The mother said her son was off his medication, and the “violence in his head” was getting “worse and worse”. “I’m very, very frightened of the things that he’s saying,” the woman told the judge.
The woman told the judge that her son is technically homeless but has been staying at her house for some time. “I can’t cope with him any more, and it’s having a terrible effect on my health,” she said.
The judge granted a short-term order banning the son from her house. Only the woman was represented in court.
In another case, a woman who alleged her ex-partner posted intimate photos of her online and threatened to burn out her car and home was granted a protection order.
The woman told the judge that her ex-partner, with whom she does not live, has a history of displaying abusive and controlling behaviour towards her, her family and her friends.
Examples of this behaviour included leaving her voicemails threatening to burn out her home and car; kicking, punching and smashing things to incite fear in her; and recording videos of her in public to intimidate her.
The woman also alleged that her ex-partner posted intimate photos of her on social media. The order sought was granted with only the woman represented in court.
In another case a woman alleged the father of her child threatened, during an argument, to rape her.
The woman said that during the altercation at her address the man threatened her with violence, saying he would stamp on her, smash up her home and rape her.
The woman subsequently contacted gardaí, who escorted the man from the property.
She said she was seeking a protection order because of his threatening and abusive behaviour, and because he was “rough” with their three-year-old daughter. The woman told the judge the child had been removed from her care by Tusla, the child and family agency, earlier in the week.
The judge granted the woman the order sought on an ex-parte basis.