Third person in country to be sentenced for coercive control

Defence says man had been in custody since last September and been in 'a bad way, mental-health wise' at the time of arrest

Paul Harkin pleaded guilty to knowingly and persistently engaging in behaviour that was controlling or coercive. File picture

A 49-year-old man will be sentenced in June for using coercion to control his former partner, sometimes in front of their children.

Paul Harkin, from Esker, Shanore, Kilchreest, Loughrea, is the first person in Galway, and the third in the country, to face sentence for the relatively new offence of coercion under the Domestic Violence Act 2018.