Ex-partner held over breach of order

A woman claimed a former partner tried to strangle her at the weekend but the accused yesterday claimed the only reason he went to her home was because she had threatened to kill herself.

Jonathan Murphy, aged 27, of no fixed address, was applying to be released on bail at Cork District Court after being charged with two breaches of a barring order previously sought by Michelle O’Driscoll.

Ms O’Driscoll testified yesterday that Murphy breached the order by putting her in fear in her home at Westbury Estate in Wilton, Cork, on Friday night.

“He tried to strangle me in the house,” she told Inspector Eileen Foster at Cork District Court.

She said, the following day in town, she was walking along South Main St when the defendant punched her in the forehead.

Murphy, however, also testified in court yesterday and said Ms O’Driscoll was telling lies. The accused said he was “a strong man” and suggested that surely there would be some marks on her neck or her forehead if he had assaulted her as described.

Ms O’Driscoll denied she had invited her ex-boyfriend out to the house on Friday night although she did say they had an on-off relationship.

Murphy said he got a phone call on Friday night from Ms O’Driscoll, who told him she had been taking tablets during the day and she was going to kill herself that night. He said that was the only reason he walked from Mahon to Wilton.

“I wouldn’t leave in case she’d do something stupid and I’d get the blame if anything happened to her,” Murphy told the court. “I finished with her three weeks ago and it’s head games is all she’s playing. What is wrong with her now is I am trying to get on with my life and she doesn’t want to see me happy.

“She is inviting me out to the house. My mother warned me this would happen. [In future] I won’t go near her, I don’t want anything to do with her. I told her this already. I went out to make sure she was safe.”

Insp Foster asked Murphy if the woman had asked him to leave the house. He replied: “Yes, but she is on about killing herself. Would you leave someone in that state — no you wouldn’t.”

Judge Leo Malone said that a barring order was a court order and Murphy was effectively ignoring it by going to the house in question. He refused bail and remanded the accused in custody until this Thursday.