One of his daughter said in her victim impact report he “does not deserve to be referenced as a father,” and she is “afraid to have children in case they go through what I went through.”
Paul Briscoe (52) of Piperstown, Drogheda, Co Louth who was jailed at Dundalk Circuit Court.
An evil monster who falsely imprisoned his family as he stood over them while holding a shotgun, subjected his children to cruelty and exerted coercive control over them and his now ex-wife isolating them from family and friends, has been jailed for six and a half years for a catalogue of offences.
Paul Briscoe (52), with an address at Piperstown, Drogheda, Co Louth was convicted by a jury of six of eight charges from the offending in 2019 at the home he shared with his then wife and two daughters following a trial at Dundalk Circuit Court last November.
He denied charges of child cruelty and damaging a kettle on August 5, 2019; possession of a shotgun for an unlawful purpose, producing a shotgun in the course of a dispute and false imprisonment of his ex-wife and two daughters on December 22, 2019.
He also contested using violence with a view to compelling his ex-wife to leave her residence on December 29, 2019; and damaging a toaster and a sun lounger on dates between January 4 and July 4, 2020.
He was acquitted of the last two charges. He has no previous convictions.
The victims waived their anonymity during the sentencing hearing on Friday, February 27 at Dundalk Circuit Court to allow him to be named in court.
One of the daughters said in her victim impact statement they were “unfortunate to have him as a father,” that she was “terrified of him and lived in a constant state of anxiety and fear,” and how he made them his slaves and how she was “just a child who just wanted a dad.”
The other daughter said he “does not deserve to be referenced as a father,” and she is “afraid to have children in case they go through what I went through.”
His ex-wife said in her victim impact statement that she “lived in fear, in isolation, brought me to a dark place with no way out,” and “the horrendous, constant mind games, silent treatment and violence was terrifying.”
Paul Briscoe (52) of Piperstown, Drogheda, Co Louth who was jailed at Dundalk Circuit Court.
The relationship with his now ex-wife was described as one of “slave and owner.” The court heard Briscoe does not accept the verdict of the court and has displayed no remorse.
During the sentencing hearing, the court was told that it was a regular occurrence for Briscoe to come home drunk and make life “a living hell” for his family and he verbally abused them and constantly lost his temper.
On one occasion, on August 5, 2019 Briscoe came home from the pub and was drunk, eating a takeaway at the kitchen table and was described as being in a bad mood. He asked one of his daughters: “Am I a spa?” before taking off his top and flipping the table.
He then picked one of his daughters, who was 14 at the time, up under her arm pits and pinned her against the kitchen worktop. The daughter told him he was hurting her and he released her but smashed the kettle against the sink.
On December 22, 2019 his now ex-wife collected him from the pub and he started arguing when they got home. He accused his ex-wife of having an affair of which there was no evidence of and was giving out about their dogs in kennels outside saying they were causing him an annoyance and he indicated he was going to shoot the dogs.
He went upstairs and got his legally held shotgun, brought it into the sitting room and pointed it at the wall before demanding his ex-wife and two daughters – who were underage at the time – to sit on the couch.
He stood over his family as they sat on a couch, holding the shotgun across his body demanding his ex-wife tell their daughters about his belief of an affair.
All three victims said they were terrified, in fear of their safety and the safety of the dogs. The gun was not loaded, however, the victims did not know that at the time.
On another occasion he forced his ex-wife out of the house into a granny flat annex at the home and locked the door and she was unable to get back into her own house for the night.
In 2020 an interim barring order was granted against Briscoe and gardai, accompanied by members of the Armed Support Unit, arrived at the house, served the order on him and removed a legally held Beratta shot gun and double barrel shot gun from a gun safe and 540 shot gun cartridges after he handed them over.
Briscoe then left the house and started living in a campervan in Piperstown, the court heard.
The older girl told the trial that the defendant was angry and giving out about the smallest of things and that her life was “a living hell,” and how they “lived walking on eggshells.”
She said her father was never physically violent but the only positive thing about him was when he left the house. Her sister said that she doesn’t have one happy memory of her father in her childhood.
Judge Dara Hayes noted the victim impact reports that the victims read out were “sad and difficult at times and powerfully described their fear,” and how they described that their home should have been “a place to be free, the happiest and safest.”
The judge also noted one of the daughters said that each year when she blew out her birthday candles she would wish that that would be the year her dad would love her.
In handing down the eight year sentence with the final 18 months suspended, bringing the sentence to six and a half years, the judge ordered Briscoe have no contact whatsoever with his victims.
The judge also ordered that when Briscoe is released he will engage in suitable therapeutic programmes to mitigate interpartner violence and to engage with the Probation Services for two years post-release and disclose to the services any interpartner relationships.
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