Covid denier who threatened to chop up his wife jailed for coercive control of his family

The court heard Harkin believed in several conspiracy theories and his coercive control of his wife and two children escalated in the run-up to their impending return to school last September

49-year-old Paul Harkin continued to dispute and contest some of the allegations made against him.

A man whose young children fear for their mother’s safety once he is released from custody has been sentenced to three years in prison for using coercion to control his family.

Imposing the sentence at Galway Circuit Criminal Court this week, Judge Rory McCabe concurred with the findings of psychiatric and probation reports handed into court, that 49-year-old Paul Harkin posed a high risk of re-offending and of committing violence against his partner.

Harkin, a native of Derry who formerly lived with his wife and two children near Kilchreest, Loughrea, pleaded guilty before the court last January to knowingly and persistently engaging in behaviour that was controlling or coercive on a date unknown between June 24 and August 13 last year at an unknown location, which had a serious effect on a woman who is or was his spouse, and the behaviour was such that a reasonable person would consider it likely to have a serious effect on a relevant person, contrary to Section 39 (1) and (3) of the Domestic Violence Act, 2018.

Judge McCabe heard evidence at Harkin’s sentence hearing last week but adjourned finalisation of sentence until this week to consider the findings of comprehensive psychiatric and probation reports.

The court heard Harkin believed in several conspiracy theories and his coercive control of his wife and two young children, then aged nine and seven, escalated in the run-up to the children’s impending return to school last September as he feared they would be vaccinated against Covid-19, which he believed was a hoax.

He also feared they would be brainwashed by the education system and wanted to home-school them himself.

He made veiled threats to his now-former wife, Fiona Clarke, that he would burn their house down, and the homes of her extended family without warning, resulting in the loss of 12 lives, if she did not behave and do as she was told.

The court heard Ms Clarke went out to work while her husband stayed at home. He got her to withdraw money from her account on a regular basis and give it to him. He spent most days watching conspiracy videos on his phone and drinking beer, the court heard.

Victim impact statement

In her victim impact statement, which Ms Clarke read to the court, she said she was too immersed in everything to realise the seriousness of what was happening to her and her family at the time. Harkin regularly went into rages, damaging property in their home.

He emailed her conspiracy videos to watch and gave her literature to read. He quizzed her about the content and flew into rages when she refused to answer, repeatedly telling her she was "stupid".

On July 27 last year, things escalated when Harkin threatened to chop Ms Clarke up and put her in a box.

"He told me I needed to learn to behave. He said he would start with my arms, then my legs and finally my head. He said all of this in front of the children.

“I didn’t know what to do. I was afraid of what might happen if I reported this. 

I only found out afterwards that when I wasn’t in the room, Paul told our nine-year-old daughter that to chop me up would be as easy as chopping a tomato.

“I believe Paul was getting to the stage of following through on his threats. I believe it was only a matter of time before something more sinister happened,” Ms Clarke said.

She said she lived in fear for the future when Harkin got out of prison.

“I went against Paul by speaking out and I am now terrified of the consequences. I don’t know if he will want revenge,” she said.

Garda testimony

Detective Sergeant Paul Duane gave evidence Ms Clarke made a complaint to gardaí on August 28 last year about her husband’s controlling and violent behaviour.

He said Harkin controlled everything in her life and her children’s lives, from what they could watch on TV, to where they could go and who they could see.

Matters came to a head on August 3 last year at the family dinner table when Harkin began throwing dishes and furniture around while shouting abuse at his wife.

“He said I needed to understand he was the boss and he would tell us all what to do. I was to obey his commands and do what he said and when.

“He said if I didn’t start listening to him he would kill me. 

He told me if I went to speak to anyone and got anyone involved he would level our house. He would break my two legs. He would kill me. 

"He would then go and level my parents' house and my brother’s house. He said he wouldn’t give them any warning. 

"I took it he meant to burn the houses. He said they wouldn’t get a chance to escape and would all likely die”, she said.

On August 6, Harkin told Ms Clarke she needed to start learning about the stuff he was studying or there would be consequences. He said he was in charge and would tell the family what to do.

She said Harkin told her she could either leave or kill herself as he was the children’s protector.

Det. Duane said he arrested Harkin on September 2 last year, adding he had previous convictions from Northern Ireland in 1998 for threatening to kill a former partner there, for two aggravated burglaries and causing criminal damage for which he had received a two-year suspended sentence.

Judge's ruling

Judge Rory McCabe said Harkin’s 1998 convictions showed he had ‘form’.

He said the level of threats and coercion led to a regime of fear and terror which Harkin waged on his family.

He noted the level of culpability was high as the assessment from the psychiatrist was that Harkin did not suffer from any mental illness and was aware of what he was doing.

The judge placed the headline sentence at four-and-a-half years which, he said, reflected the gravity of the offence, which carries a maximum tariff of five years.

Taking the early plea, Harkin’s expression of remorse, and his intention to leave the jurisdiction and go back to live in Derry as mitigating factors, Judge McCabe said the sentence he had in mind was three years.

However, he decided not to finalise the structure of that sentence until this week, stating this was a complex matter and he needed more time to consider the reports before the court.

Judge McCabe said an immediate custodial sentence was unavoidable and warranted this week after considering the findings of both reports before the court. He agreed with their conclusions that Harkin "would pose an ongoing risk of re-offending and of committing partner violence".

The judge said Harkin continued to dispute and contest some of the allegations made against him which indicated no prospect of rehabilitation.

He directed Harkin to have no contact with the victims and come under the supervision of the probation service for 12 months on his release from prison.

“The victim impact statement is unequivocal - that his wife remains in fear and that at least one of his children fears that when he gets out of prison he will hurt their mother,” Judge McCabe said before granting Harkin credit for time already served since he went into custody last September.