Former Kildare resident accused of coercive control sent forward for trial

A former Kildare resident who has been accused of coercive control was sent forward for a trial by jury at Naas District Court on Thursday, March 10.

Coercive control was brought into law in Ireland on January 1, 2019. It is a criminal offence where ‘a person knowingly and persistently engages in behaviour that: is controlling or coercive, and has a serious effect on a relevant person (a spouse or a partner)’.

The man in question, who cannot be identified in order to protect the injured party, initially pleaded guilty to the offence in Naas District Court on Thursday, February 10.

However, his solicitor Stevroy Steer told Judge Desmond Zaidan that his client has vacated his previous plea.

It was said in court on the previous date that the man could face the first-ever coercive control conviction in Ireland, but Garda Sergeant Brian Jacob told the court on Thursday that this could instead be the first potential coercive control conviction outside of Dublin.

At his initial appearance, gardaí told the court that the man sent messages to his ex-partner over the course of a number of months in which he threatened to take his own life, which constituted a breach of a safety order.

The court also heard that he had a ‘lapse in judgement’ near Christmas time, when he messaged his ex-partner via social media.

A book of evidence on the defendant, who is in his forties, was presented earlier before the judge at Thursday’s court sitting.

Judge Zaidan sent the case forward for trial by jury, and gave the accused an alibi warning.

He also noted that, if convicted, the defendant could face up to five years in prison.