A woman who suffered a night of assault and abuse at the hands of her 33-year-old husband at their home in Bettystown had been left “paralysed by fear” a local court has been told. The husband – Brian Lidwell, Ardmore Lane, Bettystown appeared at Trim Circuit Court charged with assault causing harm to the woman in the incident in 2024. The court heard that the defendant carried out the assaults between 8pm and 4am but then resumed the assaults at 8am.
A neighbour heard screaming from the house and alerted Gardai. A stand-off ensued as Gardai tried to gain access to the house and the Garda Armed Response Unit had to be called to the scene. Judge John Martin said that Garda Brian Dunne had given evidence at a previous hearing about the injuries suffered by the woman. During the prolonged ordeal the defendant had threatened to kill his wife.
At one stage he had squeezed her so badly that she had difficulty breathing. Judge Martin said that the woman had been tortured and strangled and had suffered the ordeal of being suffocated with her own pillow. He added that the defendant’s behaviour was inexcusable and he regarded it as being at “the upper end of offending”.
The woman was now a shell of the person she used to be. She had had to leave her home and needed treatment for pain but could not afford medical treatment because of her circumstances. The fact that the incident had happened in the family home which was supposed to be a haven was an aggravating factor in the case, the judge said.
He took into account the fact that the defendant had no previous convictions, that he had written a letter of apology to his wife and that references had been submitted. He imposed a prison sentence of five years backdated to 20 th November last but suspended the last 12 months of the sentence. He also directed defendant to enter a bond to keep the peace, to engage with the Probation Service and forbade him to have any contact of any kind with his wife.
After the sentence had been passed defending barrister Shane Kelly said his client had €3,000 to offer as compensation. The judge said it was a matter for the woman whether she accepted this or donated it to a charity.
