Man jailed for five years over threats to kill his ex

A HOMELESS man has been banned from contacting the mother of his children for repeatedly threatening to kill her.

Conor Cronin, 21, who was sentenced at Cork Circuit Criminal Court yesterday, was also told he has to get a court order if he wants to see his two children with the woman.

The case dealt with two threats he made to kill her.

The second threat was made while Cronin, who was yesterday jailed for five years with two years suspended, was on bail for a public order offence relating to the first threat.

Cronin, formerly of The Highlands, Glounthaune, Co. Cork, first threatened to kill his exgirlfriend at an address in Ovens on February 22, 2017. Their relationship had ended two years previously.

Although he had gone to work in the UK after it ended, he returned and started making the threats.

When gardaí arrived at her house in a Cork city suburb in February, the court heard that ‘he was very aggressive’ and refused to leave.

He was arrested on a public order charge and later released but then rearrested when he threatened to kill his ex.

At that time, he was told to stay away from her and make no contact with her. But, the court heard yesterday, ‘within a short time, he attempted to call her’.

When he finally got through, from a number she didn’t recognize, he told her: ‘I promise you (that) you are dead’.

She then received three emails from Cronin that were of ‘a threatening nature’.

They contained phrases such as ‘You are dead’ and ‘You got me arrested, I will never let that go’.

On February 24, Garda Pat Prendergast and a colleague started looking for Cronin and eventually met him ‘by arrangement’ at a service station.

During the meeting, he tried to run away and gardaí had to call for back-up and then physically restrain him. While under escort to Cork city, Garda Prendergast said: ‘He shouted at me that he would smash her head in.’

Later in Gurranabraher Garda station, Garda Prendergast said: ‘He boasted about what he knew about her whereabouts’. He added later: ‘He was very arrogant about knowing her movements’. He told the garda ‘she will be got’.

Cronin was then remanded in custody and was charged with threatening to kill his ex.

He later pleaded guilty to the two charges of threatening to kill.

Before he was sentenced, the court heard Cronin has 36 previous convictions, including for assault and public order offences.

His defence barrister, Brendan Kelly, said that his life was a series of ‘rollercoasters of psychotic and impossible behaviour’ and that there was a history of drug abuse.

He also said that there appeared to be mental health issues, although – as the judge pointed out – no doctor had been able to come up with clear diagnosis of what is wrong with him.

Mr Kelly also told the court that Cronin is ‘absolutely remorseful and he understands his actions were outrageous’.

Judge Seán Ó Donnabháin sentenced him to three years’ prison for the first threats to kill, and backdated it to the date – February 24, 2017 – he was held in custody over the threats.

And on the second charge, he imposed a two-year sentence to run consecutively that would be suspended if he goes under the care of the Probation Services for two years.

He was also prohibited from having any contact with his ex and has to stay 5km from where she lives for the next ten years.

‘He is to have no contact with her,’ Judge Ó Donnabháin said.

And he added that ‘any’ access to the estranged couple’s two children ‘can only be arranged by court order’.

‘He was very arrogant’