Woman's claim that brother planted recording device in her car 'particularly sinister', judge says
Gordon Deegan
A judge has described as ‘particularly sinister’ a claim by a woman that her brother secretly placed a recording device in her car.
At the Family Law Court, Judge Alec Gabbett told the woman that there are specialist gardaí who deal with such allegations before granting her a domestic violence Protection Order against her brother.
A senior Garda in court, Inspector Michaela Moloney, told Judge Gabbett that she would speak to the woman concerning her allegations after court.
Judge Gabbett told the woman: “The inspector is going to have a word with you about the camera.”
After reading the statement grounding her Protection Order application Judge Gabbett told the woman that you couldn’t make up what she was alleging.
He told her: “If you were to make it all up, you should be an author and shouldn’t be here.”
Judge Gabbett said that the woman’s statement was too factually accurate not to be made up.
Judge Gabbett asked the woman does she feel safe in the family home with her brother and she replied ‘no’.
The woman, who is in her 20s, said that her brother “is terrorising my Mam as well”.
Judge Gabbett said: “Based on your information you lock yourself into your bedroom because he chases you around the house, harasses you and records you and does all kinds of other things."
"The recording piece in the car is particularly sinister and you should inform the gardaí about that.
"He effectively placed a dash cam in your car and unbeknownst to you recorded you."
The woman sought the Protection Order on an ex-parte basis and the woman’s brother will have an opportunity to contest the allegations at the hearing of the case at a later date.
If the man breaches the Protection Order, the man can be arrested by gardaí without warrant and charged with a breach and brought to court.
In another case, Judge Gabbett granted a Protection Order to a woman after she told him that her ex-partner pushed her down the stairs while pregnant.
Judge Gabbett said to her “He basically almost terminated your pregnancy - that is why you are frightened of him."
He said: “You are saying he is violent and has a propensity to violence.”
The woman said that the man “has threatened to kill me and my nine month old baby”.
In a third case, Judge Gabbett granted a woman a Protection Order against her ex-partner after viewing photos where he remarked “you are black and blue in these”.
