Man given suspended sentence for threatening to kill woman

By Sonya McLean

A man who was “raving and furious” after he discovered he was not the father of his then long-term partner’s child has been given a suspended sentence for making threats to the woman.

Laurence Nolan (35) of Springmount Apartment, Finglas, pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to criminal damage of the front window of his former partner’s home, making threats to kill or cause her serious harm and assaulting Garda Diarmuid Murphy causing him harm on May 16, 2022.

The court heard that the pleas to assaulting Gda Murphy are accepted on the basis of recklessness, after Nolan pushed the garda who then fell and struck the back of his head against a boundary wall. Gda Murphy later required stitches to close the wound on his head.

Judge Orla Crowe accepted the evidence that the offences were carried out “in the context of him being very upset about a paternity test”. She said this gave an explanation for his behaviour but was not an excuse.

She said he had arrived at the house “shouting and screaming” at her before he damaged the front window of her home.

Judge Crowe said he was “raving and furious” and the woman had no option but to call the gardaí.

Nolan told his former partner she was “a dead woman” and called her “a rat”. He pushed Gda Murphy who arrived at the scene to investigate causing the officer to fall and strike his head.

On arrest Nolan admitted he had gone to the house to confront the woman after learning that a paternity test found he was not the father of the woman’s child.

Judge Crowe accepted that Nolan experienced both mental health difficulties and had addiction problems. He has previous convictions for public order offences and criminal damage but these date back to 2010.

She accepted that he has not been in contact with the woman since 2022 and that there had been no incidences of domestic violence during their relationship. He is now in a new relationship.

Judge Crowe also accepted that he had not intended to hurt the garda and did not realise he was injured until he was told in the garda station following his arrest.

She said they were “nasty and degrading threats” made to his long-standing partner.

Judge Crowe said this was “a marginal case” as to whether Nolan should be imprisoned before she accepted that a report from the Probation Service showed that he has “done a lot of work on his rehabilitation”.

“I have decided to give him a chance,” Judge Crowe said before she imposed a sentence of three years which she suspended in full for 18 months on the condition that Nolan engage with the Probation Service for those 18 months.

He is to take part in a programme called MOVE – Men Overcoming Violent Emotions and also attend for treatment in relation to his mental health and addiction issues.