Carlow man convicted of strangling former partner - Courts News Ireland

A woman who was strangled by her former partner has indicated that while she knows she has a long road ahead of her, she can breathe now knowing that the man has been convicted. Paul Rowland (36), of no fixed abode, was convicted of intentionally or recklessly strangling the woman on January 29, 2025, following a trial at Carlow Circuit

A woman who was strangled by her former partner has indicated that while she knows she has a long road ahead of her, she can breathe now knowing that the man has been convicted.

Paul Rowland (36), of no fixed abode, was convicted of intentionally or recklessly strangling the woman on January 29, 2025, following a trial at Carlow Circuit Criminal Court earlier this month.

He had denied the charges and Tara Geoghegan BL defending told the court today/yesterday (Friday) that he does not accept the verdict of the jury.

The offence of strangulation is a new offence that was added to the Non-fatal Offences Against The Person Act of 1997 when it was revised in 2023. It comes under Section 3(A) assault causing harm and is defined as non-fatal strangulation or non-fatal suffocation.

Detective Garda Kayleigh Milward read the woman’s victim impact statement into the record.

She said that since the incident “every room in my house, holds a long lasting nightmare” and she has not gone near her bedroom since that night.

She said she suffers from chronic pain in her neck and had to go for an MRI “for the impact on my body at the hands of Paul Rowland”.

She said it is a huge sense of relief that Rowland has been convicted – saying that he had “taken her spirit”.

“I feel like I have left my children down, I feel like they have been robbed of a mother,” the woman said.

The woman said she had spent her time with Rowland “walking on eggshells”. “I finally got the courage to protect my own safety and my children.”

“I felt like he was laughing at me,” she continued and added that she felt “physically ill” when she had to look at the photographs of her injuries during her evidence to the jury.

“I have a long road ahead of me but I can breathe” she said now that Rowland is in custody.

“I am going to reclaim me back so I can be the best mother to my children. I am looking forward to a fresh start,” the woman.

She said she was thankful for the support she has received from Women’s Aid and domestic violence support services.

Judge Mary Morrissey adjourned the case to next May for sentence and remanded Rowland in continuing custody.

She addressed the woman and thanked her for “taking the time and effort” to prepare her victim impact statement which she said was of “great benefit” to the court.

She remarked on the woman’s bravery in also reporting the incident to the gardaí and giving her evidence at trial.

The woman told the jury during the trial that on January 29 she was lying on her bed when she heard footsteps on the stairs.

She got up to see who it was and saw Rowland on the stairs. She said he was intoxicated and grabbed her by the neck with one hand causing her to fall back onto the bed. He then got on top of her and put both hands around her neck.

The woman said she could not breathe, her colour was changing, she was losing focus and she feared she was going to die. She ultimately managed to loosen his grip and get away from him.

She said Rowland took her son downstairs but she got up off the bed, followed him and got her son back.

She then barricaded herself and child into an upstairs room and managed to call gardaí to alert them.

Det Gda Milward told Brian O’Shea BL prosecuting that she and her colleagues responded to a call around 7pm on January 29, regarding a domestic dispute in a housing estate in Carlow.

She said she could see Rowland in the front window of the sitting room. Officers knocked on the door and the accused opened it. She said he was “incredibly evasive and would not overly engage with us”.

She said she could hear the “sound of a female” who appeared to be in distress and then the woman walked down the stairs holding her child.

“She was very, very emotional and said Mr Rowland had tried to strangle her,” Det Gda Milward said.

She said she could see red marks on the woman’s neck, bruising to her face and a cut to her nose.

Det Gda Milward said she and the woman went into the kitchen and the woman told her that Rowland had strangled her.

She said Rowland was arrested and brought to Carlow Garda Station. She described him as being intoxicated and said a doctor later deemed him unfit for questioning due to his level of intoxication.

Det Gda Milward said that Rowland has two previous convictions.

She accepted a suggestion from Ms Geoghegan that Rowland has no previous convictions for violent offending.

Ms Geoghegan told the court that her client had “written a letter of reflection” for the woman but she does not accept the letter. He hopes that he can rebuild a relationship with her and act as co-parents together at some point in the future.

Counsel said Rowland has spent his time in custody reflecting and has described it as “a very unfortunate chapter in his life”.

He says that he and the woman had “a tumultuous relationship” with “its ups and downs” but he is determined to rebuild a relationship with her in an attempt to enable them to co-parent together.

Ms Geoghegan said there has “been a significant decline” in Rowland’s mental health since his remand in custody.

Counsel said he was born in the US, just outside New York and raised there until the family moved to Ireland when he was 13 years old. He attended school and college locally in Carlow town. He had hopes to one day become a teacher, Ms Geoghegan told the court