Estranged couple who had row over bed 'the saddest case I have come across', judge said

Couple who cannot afford to separate had dispute over who was to sleep in the bed, resulting in ex-husband spending 33 hours in Garda cell, court heard

The husband and wife have not spoken to each other for several months, apart from essential exchanges in relation to their children and they have not shared their bed for over a year, court told. Picture: Larry Cummins

A judge hearing a domestic violence case where a middle-aged couple — who could not afford financially to separate — got into a row over who was going to sleep in the bed one night said it was the saddest and most unusual case of its kind he had heard.

Judge Olann Kelleher dismissed the charge against the man, whose wife claimed he breached a safety order by putting her in fear. But he remarked: “Crazy behaviour by both parties.”