'Even if he was 200 miles away he would instil fear in me': Kerry man jailed for coercive control of his wife

The judge noted that the evidence at the sentencing hearing covered behaviour in the 20 years before 2019, when the offence of coercive control became law

Some conditions over the suspension of the last six months of the 18-month sentence require the 50-year-old man to undertake an intimate partner violence programme assessment, address his offending behaviour with the probation service and address victim empathy deficits. File picture: Dan Linehan

A 50-year-old Kerry man who exercised “relentless and torturous” coercive control over his wife who lived in a constant state of fear and anxiety and is still traumatised from the experience was jailed for one year on Wednesday. 

Ms Justice Siobhán Lankford said the charge related to a period from January 2019, when the offence of coercive control became law, and September 2020 when the victim left her husband. However, the judge noted that the evidence at the sentencing hearing covered behaviour in the 20 years before 2019.