Mayo woman 'convinced' ex-partner will come to hurt her

A man accused of trying to strangle his ex-partner remains in custody after a fresh bail application was refused

By Anton McNulty Published 7th Jul 2026, 18:30 BST A man remains in custody after bail was refused after ex-partner expressed fear of him | File pic A man accused of trying to strangle his ex-partner remains in custody after a fresh bail application was refused Sign up to our Mayo 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 Mayo Live within your account.

A Mayo woman told a court that she is convinced her ex-partner will come to hurt her if he was released on bail after he was arrested and accused of trying to strangle her.

The woman made the comments in a fresh bail application in Castlebar District Court this morning brought by her ex-partner who was charged with assault causing harm and criminal damage.

He has been in custody since July 1 after he was refused bail when he first brought before the court after his ex-partner said she would be in fear for her safety if he was released.

The defendant's ex-partner told the court this morning that she feared that he will return to the family home if he is given bail and he will come to hurt her. She said that his behaviour has gone out of control due to his drinking and she cannot 'live like this anymore'.

The man who cannot be named due to reporting restrictions was arrested in the early hours of July 1 after he was accused of assaulting his ex-partner in front of their teenage daughter and threatening to burn down the family home.

The defendant who was not represented due to the ongoing legal aid reform dispute between solicitors and the Department of Justice again applied to be released on bail despite objections from An Garda Siochána.

He told Judge Michael Connellan that his time in prison meant he had a lot of time for thinking and he was 'truly sorry' and had written letters to his ex-partner and his daughter. The father of the defendant said that he and his mother were willing to allow him to stay with them if he is granted bail.

The court heard the allegations against the defendant which An Garda Siochána were serious and were among the reasons for their bail objections.

It is alleged that on June 29 last at 11.45pm, the defendant entered the bedroom of his ex-partner in the house they share and forcefully took her phone. It is alleged that when she followed him to the sitting room to take the phone back he screamed at her and hit her on the chest.

The court also heard that his 19-year-old daughter witnessed the alleged incident and recorded footage on her phone.

The investigating garda said that it is alleged that the defendant threatened to burn the family home and brought in a can which the complainants claim they thought contained petrol. It is alleged he poured it around the sitting room and told his ex-partner to take the kids out.

Judge Connellan was also told that the defendant is alleged to have grabbed his ex-partner and banged her head four or five times against the window and knocked her to the ground before attempting to strangle her.

When gardaí arrived at the scene, they claimed that there were bruises and spattering of blood on his ex-partner and he was intoxicated and abusive and aggressive to gardaí.

READ: Roscommon man claims he was drunk and barely remembers attending Mayo court

Gardai also outlined that on two occasions in 2025, the complainant called to her local garda station to express concern regarding his behaviour and he would be drinking all night.

The defendant asked Judge Connellan to give him bail saying that he wanted to 'make right what happened' and apologised 'with all my heart'.

However, Judge Connellan said that having listened to garda objections and the evidence of the ex-partner, he was refusing bail and remanded the man in custody to appear before Castlebar District Court on July 15.