A Kerry man who struck his wife with a livestock whip when she was holding an infant in her arms, has been jailed for a year, having pleaded guilty to a charge of coercive control.
The Central Criminal Court sitting in Cork heard that over a period of twenty years, the man punched the woman in the face, caught her by the throat and knocked her to the ground when she was pregnant.
He also threatened to burn her in her family home, after she temporarily left him.
The court heard the 50-year-old man – who cannot be named for legal reasons - had subjected his wife to “relentless and torturous” physical and verbal abuse over a period of two decades.
He would blame her if she had her period when he wanted to have sex and made regular sexual demands of her.
If he allowed her to go somewhere, it came with conditions; he controlled whom she could be friends with, and tried to turn her against her own family.
In her victim impact statement, she said her life was a constant cycle of being degraded, with her husband always mocking her appearance and weight.
The man - who has four previous convictions and previously spent time in prison arising from a fatal incident - admitted that he engaged in behaviour that was controlling and coercive.
He has since expressed remorse.
He spoke of having traditional values and explained his behaviour by saying he had a short fuse.
The court was told he had self-referred to a programme called Men Overcoming Violent Emotions.
Ms Justice Siobhan Lankford was told that the victim, now in her forties, wished she was dead during the lengthy campaign of abuse towards her, and considered taking her own life.
Justice Lankford commended the victim in the case for her courage.
She jailed the man for 18 months, suspending the final six.
The judge also ordered that the man has to contact the probation service if he enters in to a new relationship, so the new partner will be aware of his conviction.
If you are affected by the details of this report, please contact Adapt Kerry Women's Refuge on (066) 712 0643.
