Mick Clifford: After 13 years, Margaret Loftus receives justice
Margaret Loftus's father sat beside her in the witness box, just as he had stood at her side 13 years ago when she told her husband that their marriage was over.
The latter occasion was on October 31, 2012, some eight hours after her husband Trevor Bolger had assaulted her in front of their children.
Both Margaret and her husband were members of An Garda Síochána at that time.
On Wednesday, when called to give her victim impact statement, she left her place in the public gallery, her father Michael at her side.
He held her hand as they walked to the witness box where both sat down.
The garda detective who investigated the assault, Rioghnach O'Sullivan, settled them in, made sure they were comfortable, and asked whether they would like a glass of water.
Earlier, the detective had told the court that the assault had occurred in Margaret's childhood home in Co Mayo, to where the couple had visited from Dublin for a family occasion.
The following morning Margaret had woken her father and asked him to stand beside her when she told Bolger that their marriage was over.
Michael Loftus did as his daughter requested, and on that morning she left one life in a sump of despair to embark on a new one. It was to take 12 before the wheel of justice would turn in her favour.
In the witness box, Margaret Loftus put on a pair of glasses, moved towards the microphone, and began talking in a clear voice, determined that she would get through this testimony, for, as she was to relate, herself, her children, and any other victim of domestic violence.
Sitting in the areas reserved for defendants, Trevor Bolger looked into the middle distance with faraway eyes, like a man who was being forced to live through a past he would rather forget.
In the witness box, Margaret Loftus put on a pair of glasses, moved towards the microphone, and began talking in a clear voice, determined that she would get through this testimony, for, as she was to relate, herself, her children, and any other victim of domestic violence. Picture: Collins Courts
On April 28 last, he pleaded guilty to assault, under Section 2 of the Non-Fatal Offenses Against the Person Act. That was on the day that his trial was due to begin.
At two interviews with investigating gardaí he had denied assaulting his wife of the time. Then, a few weeks before he was due to go on trial, he admitted it in a plea deal. Two other charges, of coercive control and threatening to kill were dropped, entered as nolle prosequi.
Wednesday was his victim's day. Margaret Bolger told the court that during the assault her children were her main concern.
'I would have taken any kind of battering once they were safe. The fear I felt during the assault was heightened by the knowledge that my children were present,' she said.
'This assault on this fateful night was so violent and terrifying it ended our marriage,' she said.
She went on to thank those who had helped her along the way particularly her husband Hugh 'who found me shattered and broken'. Then she finished with a clarion call to anybody who is, or was, going through what she had experienced.
'Trevor Bolger you did your level best to break me and my children,' she said. 'You made me suffer every single day since I left you after this assault but I want you to know you haven't broken me.
As a victim of domestic violence I would like to urge all other victims to come forward no matter how much someone like Trevor Bolger tries to abuse you. There is always a better life waiting if you can find your voice.
Here and there, while she related her experience, her voice threatened to break. But she held it together, drawing strength from the presence of her father beside her.
There was a silence of respect in court 22 as she got up from the chair, helped her father to his feet, walked past the defendant and back to the heart of the family that had come to support her.
Judge Martina Baxter heard pleas of mitigation and made some queries as to what rehabilitation Trevor Bolger had undergone.
Taking everything into account she said she was going to refer the case to the Probation Service for a report, and she would sit again for sentencing on October 31.
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Margaret Loftus's father sat beside her in the witness box, just as he had stood at her side 13 years ago when she told her husband that their marriage was over. The latter occasion was on October 31, 2012, some eight hours after her husband Trevor Bolger had assaulted her in front of their children. Both Margaret and her husband were members of An Garda Síochána at that time. On Wednesday, when called to give her victim impact statement, she left her place in the public gallery, her father Michael at her side. He held her hand as they walked to the witness box where both sat down. The garda detective who investigated the assault, Rioghnach O'Sullivan, settled them in, made sure they were comfortable, and asked whether they would like a glass of water. Earlier, the detective had told the court that the assault had occurred in Margaret's childhood home in Co Mayo, to where the couple had visited from Dublin for a family occasion. The following morning Margaret had woken her father and asked him to stand beside her when she told Bolger that their marriage was over. Michael Loftus did as his daughter requested, and on that morning she left one life in a sump of despair to embark on a new one. It was to take 12 before the wheel of justice would turn in her favour. In the witness box, Margaret Loftus put on a pair of glasses, moved towards the microphone, and began talking in a clear voice, determined that she would get through this testimony, for, as she was to relate, herself, her children, and any other victim of domestic violence. Sitting in the areas reserved for defendants, Trevor Bolger looked into the middle distance with faraway eyes, like a man who was being forced to live through a past he would rather forget. In the witness box, Margaret Loftus put on a pair of glasses, moved towards the microphone, and began talking in a clear voice, determined that she would get through this testimony, for, as she was to relate, herself, her children, and any other victim of domestic violence. Picture: Collins Courts On April 28 last, he pleaded guilty to assault, under Section 2 of the Non-Fatal Offenses Against the Person Act. That was on the day that his trial was due to begin. At two interviews with investigating gardaí he had denied assaulting his wife of the time. Then, a few weeks before he was due to go on trial, he admitted it in a plea deal. Two other charges, of coercive control and threatening to kill were dropped, entered as nolle prosequi. Wednesday was his victim's day. Margaret Loftus told the court that during the assault her children were her main concern. 'I would have taken any kind of battering once they were safe. The fear I felt during the assault was heightened by the knowledge that my children were present,' she said. 'This assault on this fateful night was so violent and terrifying it ended our marriage,' she said. She went on to thank those who had helped her along the way particularly her husband Hugh 'who found me shattered and broken'. Then she finished with a clarion call to anybody who is, or was, going through what she had experienced. 'Trevor Bolger you did your level best to break me and my children,' she said. 'You made me suffer every single day since I left you after this assault but I want you to know you haven't broken me. As a victim of domestic violence I would like to urge all other victims to come forward no matter how much someone like Trevor Bolger tries to abuse you. There is always a better life waiting if you can find your voice. Here and there, while she related her experience, her voice threatened to break. But she held it together, drawing strength from the presence of her father beside her. There was a silence of respect in court 22 as she got up from the chair, helped her father to his feet, walked past the defendant and back to the heart of the family that had come to support her. Judge Martina Baxter heard pleas of mitigation and made some queries as to what rehabilitation Trevor Bolger had undergone. Taking everything into account she said she was going to refer the case to the Probation Service for a report, and she would sit again for sentencing on October 31.
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12 hours ago
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Former wife of garda ‘lost everything' after he carried out ‘protracted assault' on her
A garda who carried out a 'protracted assault' on his then wife, who was also a member of the force, is to be sentenced later at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court. Trevor Bolger (48), who was previously attached to Ballymun Garda station, pleaded guilty to assaulting Margaret Loftus on October 25th, 2012. Ms Loftus read a victim impact statement to the court in which she described the effects the 'protracted assault' had on her. She said Bolger violently assaulted her that night. 'I lost everything,' she said. READ MORE She said she had a strong sense of truth and justice. 'After this assault it also impacted personal relationships I had within the guards – there was a stigma attached to me, for standing up for myself.' She said it was 'used against me while I tried to seek justice for myself' and was as 'damaging as the assault itself'. Ms Loftus also thanked the members of the Garda who investigated the case. 'It has taken 13 years of my life to get to where we are today but truth and justice must prevail,' she added. 'Trevor Bolger, you have done your level best to destroy me ... every day you have broken me,' she said. 'By your own admissions here today ... you are an abuser and a perpetrator of domestic violence.' She said as a victim of domestic violence she would like to encourage others to come forward. Det Gda Rioghnach O'Sullivan told the court that in October 2012 the then couple had travelled to Balla, Co Mayo, Ms Loftus's home county, for a family event. Bolger was irate because Ms Loftus spoke to her family and did not stay by his side and he sat at the bar drinking for the night, the court was told. When they returned home to her childhood bedroom in which they were staying, he hit her in the back and grabbed her by the hair while she begged him not to hurt her. She described it as a 'protracted assault' which was 'terrifying' and she feared that if she had stayed with him she would have been killed, so ended the marriage the next day. Det Gda O'Sullivan told the court that the following afternoon 'she had her father stand beside her while she told him [Bolger] that their marriage was over'. [ Garda detective pleads guilty to assaulting his then wife, who was also an officer Opens in new window ] Bolger was interviewed voluntarily in December 2018 and twice denied he had engaged in an assault on Ms Loftus. Cathleen Noctor SC, defending, said her client had been treated for anxiety and depression and had entered a psychiatric hospital following the event. He had brought €6,000 in compensation which he handed over to the court. The court heard that Bolger remarried in 2021. A number of testimonials were before the court including one from a retired inspector. Counsel said Bolger had made a positive contribution to society over his 20-year career. She also asked the judge to have regard to his own circumstances and that his mental health difficulties are continuing. Bolger was promoted to the rank of detective and was attached to Howth Garda station in August 2018. He was suspended in December 2018 and was sent forward for trial on indictment in Dublin Circuit Criminal Court. Bolger has no previous convictions. Judge Martina Baxter described it as an egregious assault. She said because it is spousal abuse she was going to ask for the assistance of the Probation Service. Bolger is to be sentenced in October. She remanded him on continuing bail, noting Ms Noctor's submission that custody was harder for Bolger because of the role he had at the time and the responsibility that comes with that. The court heard the maximum penalty for the assault, under Section 2 of the Non-Fatal Offences Against the Person Act, which is normally dealt with summarily in the District Court, is six months' imprisonment or a fine. Judge Baxter said she would disagree with Ms Noctor's assertion that the Circuit Court rarely deals with summary offences. She told Ms Noctor that there would be more weight on her submissions on the passage of time since the offence. Ms Noctor asked the court to have regard to her client's apology, his expression of remorse, and testimonials before the court including one from a retired Garda inspector, Nick Mulligan, who Ms Noctor said 'has known my client for the whole time he had a career in An Garda Síochána'. Judge Baxter queried whether those who had provided testimonials knew why they were asked to do so. 'I have instructions that they do all know,' said Ms Noctor.
Irish Examiner
14 hours ago
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Mick Clifford: After 13 years, Margaret Loftus receives justice
Margaret Loftus's father sat beside her in the witness box, just as he had stood at her side 13 years ago when she told her husband that their marriage was over. The latter occasion was on October 31, 2012, some eight hours after her husband Trevor Bolger had assaulted her in front of their children. Both Margaret and her husband were members of An Garda Síochána at that time. On Wednesday, when called to give her victim impact statement, she left her place in the public gallery, her father Michael at her side. He held her hand as they walked to the witness box where both sat down. The garda detective who investigated the assault, Rioghnach O'Sullivan, settled them in, made sure they were comfortable, and asked whether they would like a glass of water. Earlier, the detective had told the court that the assault had occurred in Margaret's childhood home in Co Mayo, to where the couple had visited from Dublin for a family occasion. The following morning Margaret had woken her father and asked him to stand beside her when she told Bolger that their marriage was over. Michael Loftus did as his daughter requested, and on that morning she left one life in a sump of despair to embark on a new one. It was to take 12 before the wheel of justice would turn in her favour. In the witness box, Margaret Loftus put on a pair of glasses, moved towards the microphone, and began talking in a clear voice, determined that she would get through this testimony, for, as she was to relate, herself, her children, and any other victim of domestic violence. Sitting in the areas reserved for defendants, Trevor Bolger looked into the middle distance with faraway eyes, like a man who was being forced to live through a past he would rather forget. In the witness box, Margaret Loftus put on a pair of glasses, moved towards the microphone, and began talking in a clear voice, determined that she would get through this testimony, for, as she was to relate, herself, her children, and any other victim of domestic violence. Picture: Collins Courts On April 28 last, he pleaded guilty to assault, under Section 2 of the Non-Fatal Offenses Against the Person Act. That was on the day that his trial was due to begin. At two interviews with investigating gardaí he had denied assaulting his wife of the time. Then, a few weeks before he was due to go on trial, he admitted it in a plea deal. Two other charges, of coercive control and threatening to kill were dropped, entered as nolle prosequi. Wednesday was his victim's day. Margaret Bolger told the court that during the assault her children were her main concern. 'I would have taken any kind of battering once they were safe. The fear I felt during the assault was heightened by the knowledge that my children were present,' she said. 'This assault on this fateful night was so violent and terrifying it ended our marriage,' she said. She went on to thank those who had helped her along the way particularly her husband Hugh 'who found me shattered and broken'. Then she finished with a clarion call to anybody who is, or was, going through what she had experienced. 'Trevor Bolger you did your level best to break me and my children,' she said. 'You made me suffer every single day since I left you after this assault but I want you to know you haven't broken me. As a victim of domestic violence I would like to urge all other victims to come forward no matter how much someone like Trevor Bolger tries to abuse you. There is always a better life waiting if you can find your voice. Here and there, while she related her experience, her voice threatened to break. But she held it together, drawing strength from the presence of her father beside her. There was a silence of respect in court 22 as she got up from the chair, helped her father to his feet, walked past the defendant and back to the heart of the family that had come to support her. Judge Martina Baxter heard pleas of mitigation and made some queries as to what rehabilitation Trevor Bolger had undergone. Taking everything into account she said she was going to refer the case to the Probation Service for a report, and she would sit again for sentencing on October 31.
