‘I’m going to finish this tonight’, wife told

A man accused of raping his wife allegedly told her “I’m going to finish this tonight,” before hitting her over the head with a hammer the next day.

The jury has already heard accusations that the 42-year-old raped his wife after refusing to accept their marriage was over. He allegedly told her “I can rape you if I want”, and threatened to cut her face open with a knife.

Yesterday the woman told the jury at the Central Criminal Court that the accused would frequently ring her and claim to know where she was.

She said she was on holidays in Spain with their young child when he rang and said he knew she was on the beach. On another occasion, he knew that she was in a Dublin park, and claimed he had someone following her.

She told Mary Rose Gearty, prosecuting, that she was terrified and was convinced there was someone waiting for her in the park. Afterwards, she checked her phone’s setting and discovered apps had been installed without her knowledge and the “location services” setting had been turned on.

The accused has pleaded not guilty to rape, assault causing harm, and five counts of threats to kill or cause serious harm between May 24 and August 1, 2014. The jury heard he has already pleaded guilty to a count of assaulting his wife with a hammer in August 2014.

The woman said she was subject to several instances of intimidation and threats in the days after she took out a barring order on the accused. On June 8, 2014, she said her husband phoned her and demanded to see their child. When she refused he allegedly responded “I’m coming to the house now. I’m coming to get you. I’m sick of this.”

She said the next day she was driving to work when he tried to get into her car. She managed to drive away but was again confronted by the accused in a supermarket later that day.

On August 6, 2014 he allegedly told the woman over the phone “I am sick of this, I’m going to finish this tonight.”

The trial continues.