A man was sentenced to four months in prison for breaching a barring order against him when he shouted obscenities at his wife late last year.
Galway District Court dealt with the case concerning the breach of a barring order by a man against his wife during an in camera session this week.
The court heard that the women was staying at a refuge in the city with four of her children, while another daughter lived with her father.
The court heard that last December 12 the woman’s daughter had come to the refuge, having been dropped off by her father, to collect some items from her mother.
After the daughter collected the items that she came for she returned to her father’s car, and he began to drive away from the area.
The woman said that while she was still standing at the door of the refuge the man stopped the car while still near the refuge and began yelling obscenities at her, with insults such as “whore” and “prostitute” used.
She gave a statement to the gardaí about this in early January after reporting a second incident, which the court said did not meet the threshold of an offence.
Gardaí said that the camera at the entrance to the refuge did not capture the man in the December incident, but added that it only covers half of the entrance.
The man said in court that he has never used language like that in front of his children, or personally come near the refuge.
Judge Mary Fahy imposed a four month prison sentence for the breach of the barring order, saying that this language was “not acceptable to be used against anyone”, but was worse still “with a child present, and against her mother”.
The man in question is currently serving a nine month prison sentence for an assault on his wife.
The four month sentence handed down by Galway District Court will commence after the completion of that period.
Afterwards he is to have no contact with his wife except by arrangement or through a social worker.
