Woman who breached barring order broke father’s statue of Our Lady

A WOMAN came before the court for repeatedly breaching a barring order contrary to the Domestic Violence Act.

Published 4th Jun 2026, 12:00 BST LL A WOMAN came before the court for repeatedly breaching a barring order contrary to the Domestic Violence Act. Sign up to our Limerick Live newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know you can manage your profile, and explore all of the available newsletters from Limerick Live within your account.

The woman cannot be named in order to protect the identity of the victim.

A sitting of Limerick city’s District Court heard that the woman had repeatedly breached a barring order that her father had taken out against her.

The court heard that during one of these breaches, her father called the gardaí due to the woman’s threatening behaviour.

When gardaí arrived at the house, the woman absconded from the scene, and gardaí were unable to locate her.

Prosecuting Sergeant Aisling O’Neill said in garda evidence that later on the same day, the woman returned to her father’s home.

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Sergeant O’Neill said that the woman was behaving erratically whilst under the influence of drugs, and her father was afraid of her. On another occasion, the woman breached the barring order by visiting her father’s house. When gardaí arrived at the house, the woman was found hiding in her father’s back garden. Gardaí then charged and arrested the woman. The court heard of a further breach of the barring order where the woman was upstairs in her father’s house. Sergeant O’Neill detailed that the woman was being abusive to her father. During the incident, the woman broke a statue of Our Lady and damaged a TV in the house.

The sergeant said that the criminal damage amounted to €350. The court heard that the woman also committed two public order offences, which were also before Judge Patricia Harney for sentencing.

Sergeant Aisling O’Neill detailed that the woman has a number of previous convictions including six previous section 33 breaches contrary to the Domestic Violence Act, one instance of criminal damage, eight section four public order offences, one for the obstruction of a peace officer, one section four theft, eight section six public order offences, a previous conviction for criminal damage, and two hit and run offences.

Solicitor Sarah Ryan, representing the woman, presented a plea of mitigation to the judge.

Ms Ryan said that the woman wanted to go to rehab, but this didn’t work for her. The solicitor detailed that the woman has a diagnosed psychiatric disorder, and that her brother died in an accident. She continued that sometimes the woman cleans the house and looks after her father but then arguments break out.

Judge Harney said the woman already has previous convictions for breaches of an order, and that her father previously had to give evidence that he was afraid.

“The gardaí found her in the garden, she knows she’s not meant to be there,” the judge said.

Ms Ryan said that the woman has “no one”. Judge Harney said “that might be for a reason”, and said that the woman “doesn’t sound like a peaceful person”. The judge sentenced the woman to two months’ imprisonment for criminal damage offence, six weeks’ imprisonment for the barring order breach in the back garden, and three weeks’ imprisonment for the public order offence. The judge further sentenced the woman to a three months’ imprisonment for breaching the barring order, and convicted and fined the woman €200 for the public order offence.

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