Man ‘lost the head’ in threat to kill woman

A six-month suspended jail sentence was imposed yesterday on a man who threatened to kill the woman with whom he had an on-off relationship.

Bail had been refused on Monday despite claims by the accused the words used in phonecalls and text messages were just empty threats.

Diarmuid Kelleher, defence solicitor, said: “Every so often there are verbals between them. He did use words but he says they were empty threats, just words.”

When the case came back before Cork District Court yesterday — after the accused being in prison since Monday — he pleaded guilty to the charges against him.

Scott O’Regan, aged 26, of 44, Ardmanning Avenue, Togher, Cork, admitted the charge of breaching the safety order by putting Megan Coughlan in fear on October 4 at Grange, Douglas. O’Regan indicated on Monday that he was prepared to give an undertaking not to make any contact with Ms Coughlan by text, phonecall or social media.

However, the accused added: “It was fine for her to see me on Friday and we were planning to go on holiday together. If she was that much in fear of me she wouldn’t be shopping with me on Friday and making plans to go on holidays in the summer.”

Applying for bail yesterday through his solicitor Diarmuid Kelleher, Scott O’Regan testified that if released: “I am not going to go near the house. I have no intention of making threats to Megan.

“We were in town together on Friday shopping and everything was rosy. She was in bad humour (on Sunday) and she said she was moving away to Australia. I lost the head I suppose.”