Adapt Kerry Women’s Refuge is praising the courage of a victim of coercive control who spoke up and made a complaint about the abuse she experienced.
Catherine Casey, the general manager of ADAPT, was speaking following the sentencing of a Kerry man who was jailed for a year having plead guilty to a charge of coercive control.
The Adapt Kerry Women’s Refuge is located in Tralee and offers refuge and support to victims of domestic violence and their families.
At the Central Criminal Court sitting in Cork Ms Justice Siobhan Lankford sentenced this Kerry man to 18 months, with the final six months suspended for a charge of coercive control.
The court heard the man, who is aged in his 50s and can’t be named for legal reasons, had subjected his wife to “relentless and torturous” physical and verbal abuse over two decades.
He struck his wife with a livestock whip when she was holding an infant in her arms, punched her in the face, caught her by the throat and knocked her to the ground when she was pregnant.
General manager of Adapt, Catherine Casey says yesterday’s sentencing, in particular the conditions attached to the sentence, appeared to consider the guilty plea and also the risk to the safety of any future partner.
She says the survivor’s resilience and courage will no doubt encourage other women experiencing coercive control to speak out.
Anyone seeking the support of Adapt can contact their helpline on 066 712 9100.
