A WOMAN IN her 30s was so afraid of her abusive ex that she jumped from the balcony of her first floor apartment breaking both of her ankles, a court has heard.

The abusive former boyfriend of the woman, who is in his 40s, has been been jailed for 18 months after he threatened to kill his ex on Christmas Eve 2018.

The 41-year-old man, who can’t be named to protect the identity of his child with the woman, pleaded guilty at Cork Circuit Criminal Court to three counts of threatening to kill the woman on 8 September , 30 September and 24 December 2018.

The man also pleaded guilty to a fourth charge of breaching a protection order obtained by the woman against him when he turned up at her apartment in a town in Co Cork on 24 December 2018.

Garda Tim McSweeney told the court that on 24 December 2018, the man showed up at the apartment of his 33-year-old-ex. He began behaving erratically, so the woman went to the bathroom in order to contact a friend by text.

She asked a friend to call the gardaí as she was fearful for the safety of herself and her five-month-old baby who was asleep in a bedroom in the house.

The man became irate and aggressive and threatened to kill her. He went to the kitchen to a grab a knife. She feared for her life.

She heard the doorbell ring. She wanted to answer it but the accused refused to allow her and went to the door himself.

Such was her anxiety and fear that she went out onto the balcony of the apartment and jumped down on to the concrete.

She broke both her ankles in the jump. However, she was able to make her way to a neighbouring apartment to raise the alarm.

The court heard the person at the door was a garda who immediately arrested the man for a breach of the protection order.

Garda McSweeney told Judge Sean Ó Donnabhain that in first incident on 8 September, the woman had returned home from a night out with a female friend. She had gone to bed. In the middle of the night, the accused woke her from her sleep.

He threw water on her face and told her that he had been checking her mobile phone as she slept. He accused her of flirting with men. He then threatened to kill her.

Garda McSweeney said on 30 September, the man and woman had been talking in the apartment. The woman had made a joke but he took offence at it and threatened to kill her.

Victim impact statement

The court heard a victim impact statement from the woman. In emotional evidence she said that the man had been emotionally, psychologically and physically abusive towards her ever since the birth of their daughter in 2018.

“After the first incident that he threatened to kill me, I became fearful of my safety. I felt there was no safe place for me to seek help as he was watching me all the time, trying to predict my next move so I could exit the relationship.

“I felt hopeless and scared at this point and I became very stressed – I tried my hardest to pretend that everything was not affecting me.”

She told the court that she left Ireland for a period after the second incident.

She said she was fearful for her safety and that of her family. She stayed in a refuge for a month. She now suffers from PTSD.

“I used to wake up at night, terrified at the thought of him finding me, terrorising me and killing me in different ways – I woke up in a cold sweat …. I was physically sick and got headaches, crying all night.

“On December 24th, I jumped off the balcony to escape him and broke both my ankles.

I still remember the panic when he produced a knife – going to hospital I didn’t know if was alive or dead – I lost touch with my mind and my body.

The woman has changed her car and moved out of Cork in order to get away from the man. She limits her activity on social media in order to keep her address a secret.

“I am still suffering from PTSD over a year later and am in counselling to help ease the psychological effects of coming to terms with the fact that I might have died during these threats to kill – I still suffer nightmares.”

Judge Sean Ó Donnabhain said that the man had caused a shocking level of upset and pain to his ex-partner.

He said that the accused wrongly felt he had a level of ownership or possession of the woman where he could make her do as he saw fit.

He sentenced the man to two years in jail but suspended the final six months. He ordered the man to hand over a cheque for €1,000 he had brought to court as a gesture of contrition to his victim.