Fermanagh man accused of raping and strangling ex-girlfriend – The Irish News

A County Fermanagh man is accused of raping and strangling his ex-girlfriend as part of a campaign of violence aimed at isolating her from others, the High Court heard on Tuesday.

Prosecutors also alleged that the 36-year-old man dragged the woman down the street by her hair, tried to roll her up in a mattress and preached that she would be killed.

The defendant, whose name cannot be disclosed to protect her identity, is accused of a total of 21 criminal offenses spanning an 18-month period between August 2022 and February of this year.

He is accused of rape, grievous bodily harm, bodily harm resulting in death, strangulation without fatal consequences and attempted chokehold, assault, death threats, property damage, stalking and harassment.

In her original complaint, the woman claimed the beating began soon after their relationship began.

During an incident at a friend’s house, he took the woman out onto the street and dragged her into her own house, it was said.

On another occasion, he is said to have destroyed the woman’s Wi-Fi box as part of a broader attempt to isolate her and prevent her from contacting the outside world.

Police were also informed that the defendant crumpled and broke her glasses twice because she knew she could not see without them.

According to the woman, he repeatedly came home from work and waited for her after climbing through a window to get into the house and telling her they should never separate.

Despite attempts to break up with him, according to the court, he bombarded her with messages and told her young child to call him “daddy.”

It was alleged that he obsessively stalked and harassed the woman, hacked into her phone account and constantly demanded to know her whereabouts.

Because of a misunderstood remark about his parents, the man again became enraged, pushed the woman onto a sofa and strangled her, according to the prosecution.

“He told her afterwards that she turned red and rolled her eyes,” the lawyer explained.

When the woman went home, he allegedly carried her back to his bedroom, crying and apologizing.

“Then he took off her pants and had sex with her,” the lawyer claimed.

“She froze and didn’t want to have sex with him, but was so afraid of his reaction that she didn’t resist.”

In another alleged attack while transporting garbage to the landfill, he knocked the woman over and broke her elbow.

Police were alerted following an incident in February in which the defendant allegedly accused the woman of cheating on him.

Despite alleged death threats, she fled and hid in a bush to call 999.

But the defendant found the woman, jumped on her and strangled her until a witness intervened and pulled him off her.

When the defendant turned himself in to the police on February 26, he denied all the crimes he was accused of during questioning.

It was also announced that the woman has since withdrawn her complaint.

Defense attorney Michael Boyd called for bail for the defendant and acknowledged that charges of the “most serious nature” were being brought against his client.

Judge McAlinden requested further medical information before deciding on the bail application.

The judge stated: “This has all the characteristics of classic coercive control.”