A father described gaining a protective order against his ex-partner as giving the family some much-needed relief during the Christmas period. He told the emergency domestic violence court at Dolphin House in Dublin that, although they have been separated for several years, they still share the same home. He said she struggles with drugs and alcohol on most days, becomes extremely angry, and recently verbally abused him while he was giving the children their Christmas money. He covers the mortgage while she contributes nothing, and he worried she had put a vehicle in their teenage son’s name and was driving it without tax or insurance. Their daughter has required counselling due to her mother’s substance use, he added.
Leaving the court, he remarked that the protection order would bring peace for the kids’ Christmas.
In other developments, several ex parte applications—one-sided representations—were heard before Judge Gerard Furlong on Friday. One parent's request for protection came from a mother fearing her son in his 20s, who allegedly subjects both her and their adult daughter with special needs to violence, psychological abuse, and intimidation. She claimed he has threatened her with knives, forced her to lock herself in her bedroom, and uses her bank card without permission. He reportedly has significant mood swings, has damaged property, carries weapons, and she feels trapped and unsafe.
The same woman noted her son has a mental health condition and can become delusional, threatening self-harm if demands aren’t met, with police called multiple times. She is recovering from a serious illness and seeks protection for herself and her daughter.
Another case involved a mother securing an interim order after her son—also in his twenties—began dealing cannabis from their home when he was a teenager and has since escalated to other drugs. She found drug packages at the property and says he’s well known to the police. She, two other adult children, and a baby live there, and she reported that the son has threatened to set the house on fire and frequently bangs on doors. She stated she cannot cope.
In a different matter, a woman who described herself as terrified of her ex-partner obtained a protection order. She recounted eight years of separation but said he recently returned to her residence, banging on the door, and that she and their teenage children feared he might break in and harm them. While under the influence of drugs and alcohol, he allegedly attempted to stab his mother and brother at their home and even went to their child’s school drunk, intending to take the child before classes ended. This was her third protection request, with Gardaí reportedly unable to locate the ex.
Another man reported that he asked his wife for a divorce recently and believes she has since contacted Women’s Aid and is assembling a case against him based on what he calls false allegations. He thought she had obtained a protection order against him but that it had not yet been served. He described his wife as unpredictable, with mental health struggles and a breakdown in recent months, including threats to take her own life. The judge indicated a protection order would be granted and suggested mediation as a potential way to address some issues.
