A CLARE woman held against her will for four hours was forced to listen to her captor inform her ex-partner by phone that she had an affair with another man towards the end of their relationship, a court has heard.

At Kilrush District Court, Detective Garda Donal Corkery said that the woman was put through the four-hour ordeal on November 9 when she was threatened with a knife by the 37-year-old man who also told her that he had a shotgun in his car and a Glock hand-gun.

In the case, the man is charged with the false imprisonment of the woman at his Co. Clare home on November 9 contrary to Section 15 of the Non-Fatal Offences Against the Person Act. The man denies the charge.

Opposing a bail application for the man, Detective Garda Corkery said that the woman felt pressured to go to this man’s house on November 9 as he was threatening that he would ring her ex-partner and tell him that she had an affair towards the end of their relationship if she didn’t come to the home.

Detective Garda Corkery said that the woman has a good relationship with her ex-partner and they have children together.

The detective said that the woman felt that she had no option but to go and on arrival the man searched her and took her phone from her and started questioning her in an aggressive manner and threatening tone.

He told the court that the woman sat on a chair in the house for the majority of the time and due to the aggressive nature and tone of the man, “she was in constant fear of her own safety and frozen to the chair”. 

Detective Garda Corkery said that the man was consuming vodka and cocaine and had told another person that he had used €700 to €800 worth of cocaine in the days leading up to the incident.

During the incident the man ran at the woman with a kitchen knife and grabbed her by the throat, he told the court.

Detective Garda Corkery said that the man also stabbed the knife several times in a mantelpiece close to where the woman was sitting.

The woman and the man had been in a relationship and in the days prior to the alleged false imprisonment, Detective Garda Corkery said that the man had been following her, messaging her to meet up to discuss their relationship.

Detective Garda Corkery said at 9pm on the night, the accused phoned the woman’s ex-partner and put the mobile phone on speaker and threatened the woman not to say anything during the call.

The detective said that the accused then disclosed to the woman’s ex-partner that he was in a relationship with the alleged injured party and that she had an affair during the relationship with her ex-partner.

The detective said that the call lasted 15 minutes and during the conversation, the woman’s ex-partner wished his ex happiness and all he wanted was good for her and if they were happy he would not stand in their way.

Detective Garda Corkery said that the man’s aggressive behaviour de-escalated after this “and he obviously believed that he was given approval to be in a relationship with the alleged injured party”.

The detective said that the alleged injured party got her phone back and after several failed attempts finally managed to get in touch with a friend at 10.55pm and at 11.15pm her friend collected her.

Detective Garda Corkery said that at interview with Gardai, the man accepted that the woman did attend his home on the night but denied that he falsely imprisoned her.

Detective Garda Corkery stated that the alleged injured party has made it perfectly clear that her relationship with the accused is over and is in constant fear that he will turn up at her
residence if granted bail.

Judge Mary Larkin refused the man’s application for bail and remanded the man in custody.

The man is to spend the next four weeks on remand in custody while DPP directions are awaited in the case.

Solicitor for the man, Daragh Hassett said that there will be a new application for bail made in the High Court.