An elderly man whose said his son threatened to kill him has been granted an interim barring order against him, having received similar orders in the past.
Reading the man’s written statement at Dublin District Family Court earlier this week, Judge Gerard Furlong said: “He threatened you and said he’d effing kill you. You rang gardaí and they advised you to come back here.”
The court heard the middle-aged son lives in the man’s home. Another son, who is his carer, also lives with him.
Furlong said he would give the man, who is in his late 70s, another barring order, telling him his son was “not to go to your home, he’s not to watch your home, he’s not to use violence or threaten violence, follow you, or contact you”.
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He told the man to come back to the court in two weeks when “you’ll be looking for a three-year order”, to which the man replied: “That’s what I want. Longer.”
In another case, a woman who said her former partner repeatedly harassed her, asked her for money and drugs, and threatened to come to her house to “shut me up” was granted a protection order against him.
The man also sent her messages threatening to end his own life. She said her former partner had keys for her father’s home and jewellery “had gone missing”. She said the man had also stolen money from her father’s bank account and had accused her of cheating during their relationship.
The woman, whose mother had recently died, said she had “no time to grieve with 100 texts a day”.
Offering his condolences, the judge said, “These are matters you really need to get the guards involved with. Without hesitation, I’m giving you a protection order. I want to stop these texts and I want to stop him following you.”
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Another woman, who co-parents one child with her former partner, was also granted an interim protection order. The applicant said the relationship “was on and off for three years” and ended in 2023. “He made me and our two-year-old leave his home,” she said.
On access visits, she said their child was being fed at irregular times and was dropped home with bloated diapers. She said the man had also taken the child out of the country without permission.
Her former partner had anger issues and self-injurious behaviour, including pulling his hair out and banging his head against the wall, while in the presence of her child.
She said she experienced coercive control and physical abuse which caused her “significant distress”, resulting in her taking anxiety medication.
She lives alone with her child and the man could show up at her home “at any time of the night”, she said.
Furlong told the woman: “You are the sole custodian, that is our law. If he is not happy, he has to come to court to get an order.”
He said she could apply for a maintenance order for the child, but “because you are not married, we can’t get maintenance for you”.
He also granted a “no contact order” and said the man could only text her regarding child access.
“He tells me the child will be taken off me,” the woman said.
“I have no doubt you are a good mother. Regain your self-confidence and know that you are in charge,” the judge told her.
“I have never wanted to take the dad away from my son,” the woman said, with Furlong replying, “There are times when the behaviour necessitates that.”
He granted her an interim protection order and said her child was protected under it also.
