Man sent threats to kill and assaulted his partner, Carlow court hears
Defence counsel said this was the first time Mr Carr had “experienced prison life” and plans to change his ways
A MAN who sent threatening messages to his partner claiming that he would kill her and that he would have her “dead and buried” and no-one would find her will be sentenced later. Declan Carr (29) of Poulmarl, Taghmon, Co Wexford pleaded guilty at Carlow Circuit Criminal Court last week to making threats to kill the woman on 5 March of this year. Two additional charges of assaulting the woman causing her harm were taken into account.
Garda Kevin Fitzpatrick told Niall Storan BL, prosecuting, that the woman contacted gardaí and told them she had just been assaulted by her partner. She said the man had just left the house. Gardaí later stopped him in his car and found €170 worth of cannabis in the vehicle.
He was taken in for questioning and made immediate admissions when the messages he had sent his partner were shown to him. He accepted that while they were threats to kill, he said he did not mean the threats and would never have carried them out.
Garda Fitzpatrick agreed that the couple had been in an on-and-off relationship for 12 years.
He said that the woman later reported that Mr Carr had hit her in the side of her face with his elbow while they were arguing in her car earlier that year. She took a video of her injuries, which was shown to Mr Carr by gardaí. He suggested she had used a filter in the video.
The woman also outlined a second assault when Mr Carr had struck her in the back of the head and spat at her. Mr Carr told gardaí that this never happened.
A number of the threatening messages were read out to the court in which Mr Carr said he would have the woman “dead and buried … and no-one will find you”. He also told her he would “get you” and “I am going to kill you when I get you”. He told her she should watch herself and called her “a dirty rat”.
The woman said she had contacted gardaí because she was worried that Mr Carr would kill her and she was in fear for her life.
A victim impact report was read into the record in which the woman said she had begged Mr Carr to stop his behaviour, but he had refused to, so she had contacted the gardaí out of “pure fear”. She said she was afraid he would have her killed and she experienced panic attacks for some time because of the threats.
The woman said she is starting to move on with her life – “all I want is a safe life”, the victim impact report stated.
Mr Carr appeared on video-link for the sentence hearing as he has been on remand in custody since his arrest in March. He read out a letter of apology to his former partner, saying that he had hoped he had not damaged her mental health too much.
“I was angry and let my emotions get the better of me,” he said.
Defence counsel said her client was remorseful and asked the court to accept his co-operation with the gardaí and the fact that his plea prevented what would have been a difficult trial. She said Mr Carr was willing to take part in courses for domestic violence or addiction, and handed in letters of support from his family.
Defence counsel said this was the first time Mr Carr had “experienced prison life” and that he is now at a “critical point in his life” and plans to change his ways.
Judge Sinéad McMullan remanded Mr Carr on continuing bail to the next sittings of Carlow Circuit Criminal Court in November, when a sentence date will be set. She said she needed time to consider the case.
