Woman tells court husband has abused her ‘many times in his sleep'

Irish Times

6 hours ago

A woman who alleged that her husband of more than a decade has become increasingly abusive to the point of abusing her while he was sleeping has been granted an interim barring order against him.
The woman told Dublin District Family Court she has been attacked by her husband 'many times in his sleep' further claiming that, on several occasions, she has woken to find him sexually assaulting her.
She told Judge Gerard Furlong that her husband was also 'extremely abusive and controlling when he's not asleep,' saying he does not want her to work, and does not want her 'going out with anybody or seeing my family'.
Her husband left their family home for several months and, after returning, his behaviour in his sleep was 'way worse' and happens every night, he said.
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'He tells me regularly that I'm mad, mental, unhinged and said that I should kill myself, that my children would be better off without me,' she said in a sworn statement.
On one recent occasion, she said her husband followed her 'everywhere' including to shops, making comments about her throughout, adding that he 'humiliates' her in front of their children.
She said one of her children, who is currently completing their State exams, is in a 'desperate state' and that the atmosphere in the house is 'unbearable'.
the judge granted the interim barring order until a full hearing later this month, saying he did not believe a protection order would be sufficient, given the evidence heard.
'In those circumstances, I'd be asking the gardaí to remove him from the house and he's not to come back,' he said.
The woman, who broke down once the interim barring order was granted, thanked him, saying the length of the order 'will be enough time to get the exams out of the way'.
In a separate case, a woman who claimed her former partner had lost thousands due to gambling was granted a protection order after an alleged recent rape.
The woman originally from eastern Europe, told Judge Furlong their relationship had been 'abusive from the start' but had worsened in recent months due to fights regarding his gambling addiction.
'He's lost thousands of euro,' she said, further claiming that he recently lost his entire wages shortly after being paid, first losing €200 through online gambling before losing a further €800 in city centre casinos days later.
'When he came home, he had 54c in his bank account and no money to pay the rent,' she said, adding that the gambling 'was destroying' their lives.
The woman told the judge that, last week, her former partner 'became aggressive and he raped me'.
She said following the incident, she tried to call gardaí but he 'shouted and commanded me to go back to bed', adding that he subsequently took her phone and placed it on his side of the bed for the night.
She said she believed the rape was 'revenge' for refusing to give him money, and for arguments and her repeated refusals to have sex with him.
She said after attending the Rotunda Hospital and reporting the rape to gardaí, she was brought to a women's refuge centre where she has stayed since.
She fears seeing her former partner, who has called her mother in an attempt to locate her since, the woman added.
The judge said the option of a barring order was available to her, which would result in him having to leave their apartment, though the woman said she could not afford to pay €1,300 in rent.
He granted an interim protection order 'with no hesitation' until her case returned to the court.