Man accused of abuse of son, 3

A man told his former partner that he hoped she has a long and painful death after she accused him of abusing their three-year-old boy. In the case at the Family Law district court in Ennis, the woman also claimed she found animal pornography on the man’s computer three years ago.

The Co Clare woman told the court: “I hit the wrong button on his computer one day and animal porn came up and I thought ‘he is now losing the plot’.”

The man vehemently denies all allegations and said he didn’t threaten to kill his former partner last month when saying that he hoped she would have a long and painful death.

He told the court that his words were “wishful thinking. That is not a threat, that it wishful thinking”.

The man said he uttered the words after asking his former partner was she willing to put their son through having the sex abuse allegations investigated.

I said: “‘If so, you deserve to die and burn in hell and I hope you have a slow and painful death’, because personally, I believe that she deserves it for that.”

Recalling his former-partner confronting him last month, he said: “

Of course, I was upset. I had just been accused of sexually abusing my son.” He said the allegations were ‘vile’. The woman said she has denied the man access to the boy.

She said she contacted the Child and Family Agency/Tusla the following day informing the agency of the allegations and Tusla said that the allegations should be forwarded to the gardaí.

The woman had previously secured a protection order in relation to her former partner. The man’s solicitor applied for an application to dismiss the case after the woman gave her evidence. However, Judge Patrick Durcan said the evidence has reached the threshold necessary and the man had a case to answer and should go into evidence.

However, after hearing the man’s evidence Judge Durcan rejected the application for the safety order.