Ireland Case No. 0889Coercive control · Co. Kerry
Man jailed for coercive control of wife in Kerry
A man, 50, who cannot be named, was sentenced at the Central Criminal Court in Cork for coercive control of his wife, a woman in her 40s, in Ardfert, Kerry. Between January 2019 and September 2020, he struck her with a livestock whip while she held an infant, punched her in the face, caught her by the throat, and controlled her friendships and communications. The man pleaded guilty to a single count of coercive control. Judge Siobhan Lankford sentenced him to 18 months' imprisonment with the final six months suspended, on the condition that the Probation Service may notify any future partner of his conviction.
- Reportednot reported
- Arrestednot reported
- Chargednot reported
- In courtnot reported
- Verdictnot reported
- Sentenced1 Jun
2 reports
reportedhappened, not reportedlatest stagenot yet
Key facts
consolidated from all reports- What happened
- The man struck his wife with a livestock whip while she held an infant, punched her in the face, caught her by the throat, and knocked her to the ground when she was pregnant.
- The man controlled his wife's friendships, tried to turn her against her family, and required immediate responses to his texts.
- Where
- The offending took place in Ardfert, Kerry.
- When
- The coercive control occurred between 1 January 2019 and 8 September 2020, and the woman left the relationship in September 2020.
- Investigation
- Det Garda Raelleen Bell of the Kerry Protective Services Unit gave evidence, and the Probation Service assessed the man as at high risk of physical intimate partner violence.
- Charges
- The man pleaded guilty to a single count of coercive control.
- In court
- The case was heard by Judge Siobhan Lankford at the Central Criminal Court sitting in Cork.
- Sentence
- The man was sentenced to 18 months' imprisonment with the final six months suspended, with a condition that the Probation Service may notify any future intimate partner of his conviction.
- Other details
- The man has four previous convictions, had previously spent time in prison arising from a fatal incident, and self-referred to the Men Overcoming Violent Emotions (MOVE) programme.
- The couple married in 2004, and the woman has been in counselling since their separation in 2020.
33 statements extracted from the articles
- whatThe man struck his wife with a livestock whip while she was holding an infant. (thejournal.ie)
- whatOver 20 years the man punched the woman in the face, caught her by the throat and knocked her to the ground when she was pregnant. (thejournal.ie)
- whatThe man constantly checked up on his wife by sending her texts she had to respond to immediately. (thejournal.ie)
- whatThe man controlled who the woman could be friends with and tried to turn her against her family. (thejournal.ie)
- whatThe woman said she had considered suicide and felt she could not continue to live this way. (thejournal.ie)
- whatIn Ardfert he hit her in the face and told her she had driven him to hit her. (irishtimes.com)
- whereAn incident occurred at Puck Fair in Killorglin. (irishtimes.com)
- whereAnother incident occurred in Ardfert. (irishtimes.com)
- whenThe offending related to the period from 1 January 2019 to 8 September 2020. (thejournal.ie)
- whenThe woman left the relationship in September 2020 and the abuse ended then. (thejournal.ie)
- whenThe offence period ran from 1 January 2019 to 8 September 2020. (irishtimes.com)
- investigationDet Garda Raelleen Bell of the Kerry Protective Services Unit gave evidence. (irishtimes.com)
- chargeThe man pleaded guilty to a charge of coercive control. (thejournal.ie)
- chargeHe was charged with a single count of coercive control of his wife. (irishtimes.com)
- courtThe case was heard by the Central Criminal Court sitting in Cork. (thejournal.ie)
- courtHe pleaded guilty at the Central Criminal Court in Cork. (irishtimes.com)
- courtJudge Siobhan Lankford presided over the sentencing. (irishtimes.com)
- sentenceThe judge set a headline sentence of two and a half years. (thejournal.ie)
- sentenceThe man was jailed for 18 months, with the final six months suspended. (thejournal.ie)
- sentenceThe man must contact the probation service if he enters a new relationship, and must follow its directions. (thejournal.ie)
- sentenceThe man was jailed for 12 months. (irishtimes.com)
- sentenceHe consented to the Probation Service notifying any future partners of his conviction. (irishtimes.com)
- sentenceThe judge set a headline sentence of 30 months. (irishtimes.com)
- sentenceThe sentence was reduced by eight months for the guilty plea. (irishtimes.com)
- sentenceThe final term was 18 months with the last six months suspended. (irishtimes.com)
- sentenceA condition of the suspension was that he notify the Probation Service of any new relationship and consent to the Service notifying the partner of his conviction. (irishtimes.com)
- otherThe man has four previous convictions and had previously spent time in prison arising from a fatal incident. (thejournal.ie)
- otherThe man had self-referred to the Men Overcoming Violent Emotions (MOVE) programme. (thejournal.ie)
- otherThe couple married in 2004. (irishtimes.com)
- otherHe had serious anger issues and an alcohol problem. (irishtimes.com)
- otherThe Probation Service found he remained at a high risk of physical intimate partner violence. (irishtimes.com)
- otherHe self-referred to the Men Overcoming Violent Emotion therapy group. (irishtimes.com)
- otherThe woman has been in counselling since the couple separated in 2020. (irishtimes.com)
The reporting
newest first- 3 Jun2026‘I was trained into being compliant’: Man jailed for coercive control of wife
Reports the sentencing, including the specific conditions attached to the suspended portion of the sentence and the victim impact statement.
convicted, middle-aged, malevictim, female - 1 Jun2026Man who struck his wife with livestock whip jailed for coercive control
Reports the sentencing of a man who pleaded guilty to coercive control at the Central Criminal Court in Cork. The offending period was 1 January 2019 to 8 September 2020. No matching existing case.
convicted, 50, malevictim, 40s, female