Man convicted of breaching safety order

A PROBATION report has been sought at Arklow District Court for a man convicted of three counts of breaching a safety order taken out by his former partner.

A fourth count was dismissed after Judge David Kennedy said that he was unhappy with the evidence given.

The charges were brought against the defendant in relation to a number of dates in April of this year when his former partner reported the four separate incidents to gardaí.

She told the court that on the first occasion, on April 5, the defendant came to her home shortly before midnight and ‘turned violent’ when he grabbed her by the throat and threw her onto the stairs.

She said that he then left and came back a short time later, kicked in the door and, after the gardaí arrived, left when directed to do so.

The man told the court that he went to his former partner’s house after she invited him and while he was there, their daughter woke up and he went to put her back to bed. He said that when he came downstairs, he and his ex-partner started to argue. He admitted pushing her and said he ‘left when the guards came’.

The second incident was alleged to have taken place at a fast food restaurant in Arklow when the injured party told the court, that the defendant approached her and their son.

She said that when she asked him to leave, he started name-calling and she told the court that he used the term ‘smelly knacker’ towards her.

The defendant denied this and said he called her a ‘bad woman’ when she said ‘get away from that scumbag’.

He said that he only approached his son to help him as he was in a queue with lots of people skipping ahead of him.

A further incident was outlined on Main Street in Arklow a week later when the woman and her son were exiting a shop.

She told the court that her former partner approached them and stood in the doorway and when she asked him to moved called her a ‘bad bitch’.

The defendant argued that he muttered this under his breath and that his son did not hear it.

A fourth incident where the injured party claimed the defendant smashed something on a wall and threatened to ‘drag her round by her hair’ if she denied him access to their children was dismissed as the Judge said he was not happy with the evidence.

Solicitor Tom Honan suggested to the injured party that there was ‘bad blood’ after their break up but she said this was not the case.

The defendant gave evidence to the contrary and said ‘one day she says I can see them (the children), then I can’t’.

The matter was adjourned to October 17 for the probation report to be prepared.