'F*** this, I'm getting a sword': Woman pleads guilty to threatening to kill partner

'First one of you through door is getting their legs cut off. You are getting this,' she said, waving samurai sword out the window

The court was told there were concerns for everyone’s safety, but particularly for the children, then a toddler, an older child, and a teenager. File picture

A woman who threatened her then partner and gardaí also waved a samurai sword out of a window at her home, Dublin Circuit Criminal Court has heard.

The 39-year-old Dublin woman pleaded guilty to three counts of making a threat to kill or cause serious harm and to one of production of a samurai sword at her home on a date in May 2021.

She can’t be named to protect the right to anonymity of her children, who were present during the incident.

An investigating garda on Wednesday told Oisin Clarke, prosecuting, that gardaí received a report of a dispute between the woman and her then partner. This report also indicated that the woman’s partner had a knife.

When gardaí arrived, they spoke to the woman and her partner, but no formal complaint was made.

The woman told gardaí she wanted her partner to leave and the man agreed, taking some belongings with him.

He was giving his details to gardaí outside, when the woman came out. She tried to push past gardaí and was screaming abuse and “blanket threats,” the investigating garda said.

The woman said “you’re dead, you’re dead”, with the threats directed at her partner and the three gardaí present.

She then went inside and shortly afterwards, leaned out of an upstairs window. She had a container of tablets in her hand, then put the tablets into her mouth.

She said “you won’t get these now. Fuck this, I’m getting a sword.”

The woman went inside, then reappeared with a samurai sword, which she waved out the window, while threatening her partner.

She said: "First one of you through door is getting their legs cut off. You are getting this.”

The court was told there were concerns for everyone’s safety, but particularly for the children, then a toddler, an older child, and a teenager.

A Garda armed support unit was called. They breached the front door after attempting to speak to the woman.

She handed them the sword, which was shown to the court. She never left the property with the weapon, the court heard.

After her arrest, one garda observed the property to be in a state of disarray and dirty. The court was told that there were no clean clothes and a large amount of rubbish was also present.

The woman has 25 previous convictions including 21 for road traffic offences, one for a drugs offence and robbery.

The investigating garda agreed with Jennifer Jackson, defending, that the woman has only come to Garda attention for road traffic offences since this incident occurred and her robbery convictions are historic.

The garda also accepted that the woman made the initial call to emergency services and invited gardaí into the property.

It was further agreed that the woman was in a very distressed and agitated state, intoxicated, shouting incoherently, and behaving erratically on the day.

The garda also accepted that the woman has mental health issues, is prescribed antidepressants, and has a history of suicidal ideation.

It was also accepted that the guilty pleas were of assistance to the prosecution, that her relationship with her former partner was volatile and that it appeared he was also taking drugs.

The court was told the woman left the property and went to live with her mother. Her two younger children are currently in care.

Ms Jackson said her client had a difficult background, and started to use heroin at 13. She said her instructions are that her client was in the throes of addiction on the day and wasn’t capable of looking after herself or her young children.

She said her instructions are that the woman doesn’t have a memory of what happened, that her initial anger was directed at her partner, and she then “lashed out” at gardaí.

Counsel said the woman fully appreciates that she shouldn’t have done this, apologises, and regrets her actions.

Her client is “ironically incredibly grateful” that events “came to a head that day” as she realised things had to change.

Ms Jackson said her client instructs she is drug-free and has detoxed off heroin and methadone while in custody.

Having heard the facts of the case, Judge Jonathan Dunphy said he would direct the preparation of a probation report, and adjourned the case to next month, asking the Probation Service to treat it with priority as the woman is in custody.