A judge has granted court protection to a woman after she stated that her husband had her do a lie detector test to prove that she wasn’t with other men.
At a behind closed doors family law court hearing in Ennis, Co Clare, the woman also stated that her husband “is on his phone looking up porn sites thinking I am in them”.
The woman stated that she recently left a woman’s refuge to attend the couple’s new baby’s christening and on the day of the christening, she said that her husband “hit me on the head”.
In the statement grounding her application for a protection order, the woman stated: “He keeps threatening me and doesn’t want me to speak to my family.”
She added: “He had me do a lie detector test to prove that I wasn’t with other men.”
The woman added: “I have family staying with me because I am afraid of staying on my own with him.”
The woman stated that she is afraid of her husband and Judge Patrick Durcan told her: “I am placing you under the court’s protection.”
Applications for protection orders are made on an ex-parte basis where the other side is not present and a protection order gives the applicant temporary court protection pending an application for a safety order.
At an application for a safety order, the other side can either consent to the application or contest it in court.
In a separate application for a protection order, a husband told the court “the last few days in my house have been hell”.
The man made his comment in the statement seeking the protection order against his wife.
The man stated: “I can’t eat or sleep - she is roaring abuse at me and calling me all sorts of names.”
He added: “My kids and I had to get locks for our bedroom doors as she was stealing money and our personal belongings. I have just had enough.”
The man stated that at the start of the month, “my wife attacked me. I called the gardai and they advised me to get a protection order”.
The man stated it hasn’t been the first time he has called the gardai and “I had to call them last December and in January when she assaulted me”.
Asked by Judge Patrick Durcan “are you afraid of this woman?” the man replied ‘yes’.
Judge Durcan stated that he would grant him the court’s protection and granted the protection order.
