Man jailed for obstruction of justice after he threatened ex-partner’s family

By Isabel Hayes

A man has been jailed for obstruction of justice after he admitted trying to stop his ex-partner giving evidence against him by telling her that her family – including her young daughter – would be shot.

Noel McCabe (25) is currently serving a six-and-a-half year sentence for a number of offences, including assaulting his partner and violent disorder.

After he was charged with two counts of assaulting his partner in March and April 2018, he went on to make threats against her, Sergeant Adrian Mulligan told Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.

McCabe, with an address at Sandyhill Gardens, Sillogue Road, Ballymun, Dublin, pleaded guilty to obstructing the course of justice by intimidating a witness in June 2018.

The court heard that the victim had been in a relationship with McCabe for 18 months, which she described in a victim impact statement as a “nightmare”.

The relationship ended after McCabe was charged with assaulting her, but she then started receiving phone calls from him and other unknown numbers, Sgt Mulligan said. These calls involved threats of violence if she didn’t drop the assaults charges against McCabe,

In a statement handed into court, McCabe’s ex-partner said the threats made her seriously consider proceeding with the case against him. She said she was in fear for herself and her family at the time, and was afraid to let her daughter out of her sight.

Sentencing him today, Judge Melanie Greally suspended the final year of a five year prison term on condition that McCabe keep the peace for two years after his release and engage with the Probation Service programmes, including one for anger management.

She also ordered that he have no contact with the victim or her family and that he inform the Probation Service if he begins a new intimate relationship.

McCabe also admitted unlawful possession of five shotgun cartridges at his home on November 23, 2017. Judge Greally imposed a similar sentence for this offence.

The sentences today are to run concurrently to each other but consecutive to the termination of his current prison term, imposed in May 2019.

Judge Greally said she was taking into consideration a number of mitigating factors including McCabe’s expressions of remorse, the steps he has taken while in custody to better himself and his difficult childhood.