Judge warns Cork man accused of putting his wife in fear to 'keep your mouth shut'

The woman said she never wanted him in prison but did want him to get his drink problem under control

Two nights in prison were a wake-up call for the man. File picture

Two nights in prison were a wake-up call for a man accused of putting his wife in fear and now the judge has released him with a warning not to text or say anything upsetting to his wife — “Don’t press the send button and keep your mouth shut”.

The accused had been remanded in custody for two days on charges of twice breaching an order granted under the Domestic Violence Act.

What was initially an interim barring order is now a safety order whereby he can return home but cannot put his wife in fear. She said she never wanted him in prison but did want him to get his drink problem under control.

“If he decides to go home, if he does anything to put the other person in fear he will be in breach. Everything needs to settle down. You have to keep your mouth shut. Be kind and considerate. Think of the day the babies were born. You wouldn’t have wanted it to be like this,” the judge said.

The accused and his wife cannot be named because the domestic proceedings took place at an in camera hearing. 

He said: “This is breaking my heart. This was a wake-up call.” His solicitor Daithi Ó Donnabháin said to the judge, “You can see he is a measured individual.” 

Judge Dorgan adjourned the case until January 30 and urged that everything would calm down in the house.

The defendant allegedly breached the order by asking his wife if she would talk to him when he met her on the street. And he allegedly breached it a second time by staying around the front of the house for 30 minutes checking a bag of clothes left out for him when there was nobody at home.

The woman only applied recently for an order under the Domestic Violence Act recently. She said she did not want to see him going to prison but that he needed to get his drinking under control as his verbal abuse was getting worse.

Both parties are aged around 40.