Cork woman claims her ex-partner threatened her over the phone

The court heard the accused man is the subject of an unusual safety order where he is prevented from ringing his ex-partner but she can ring him anytime she likes

The court was told the complainant said she was taping the phone call even though she was the one who made the call.

A young woman testified that she was put in fear when her ex-partner threatened her on the phone, saying: “I swear by everyone in Kilcully you are going to be sorry for saying that.” 

The young man pleaded guilty to breaching the safety order in the case dealt with at Cork District Court. Sergeant John Kelleher gave evidence of the background to the matter at the in-camera hearing.

Judge Olann Kelleher was told that initially no threats were made but that there was name-calling. However, the accused man later swore by those in Kilcully cemetery that his former partner would be sorry and she took this to be a threat.

Frank Buttimer, solicitor, said the accused man was the subject of an unusual order where he is prevented from ringing his ex-partner but she can ring him anytime she likes.

Mr Buttimer said that in this case before the court the phone call was made by the complainant at 11.30pm on a Saturday night – March 20, 2022 – and during that call she said that their daughter had woken up from a bad dream. 

Mr Buttimer said the complainant told the defendant that their daughter had been upset by an argument she allegedly witnessed taking place between the defendant and his mother.

Mr Buttimer said the complainant said she was taping the phone call even though she was the one who made the call. He said the defendant knew from this that anything he said would be recorded.

Judge Olann Kelleher said that the fact that the accused could not ring his partner but that she could ring him anytime she wanted was an unsatisfactory arrangement.

Before proceeding with sentencing of the defendant for breaching the safety order, the judge said he would respectfully ask for the order in relation to phone calls to be clarified.