A woman who woke in the middle of the night while sleeping in her child’s room to find her husband “hiding in the corner” and “laughing” has been granted an interim barring order against him.
The woman, who is separated from her husband, sought the emergency order at Dublin District Family Court on Friday morning, saying she and her children “fear him returning home each night”.
She told Judge Gerard Furlong he regularly entered the house “late at night” and left “early in the mornings”.
“We go to bed early and close our doors, listening for him coming in,” she said.
The woman was previously granted a safety order against her husband, telling the judge he was arrested that night after she called for gardaí.
It was one of several occasions in which he breached the order, she claimed. On another occasion, she alleged her husband arrived home “very high on drugs” and attempted to “fight” their child.
Alleging he told the child he was “going to punch them in the face”, the woman claimed her husband “didn’t know” who they were at the time.
She told the court she was sleeping in “bunk beds” with her child and recently woke at 1am saying she could “sense him in the dark room” and was “afraid”.
She said she switched on the light and saw her husband “hiding in the corner behind the door”.
“He was laughing at me,” she said.
Furlong granted an interim barring order on an ex parte basis, where only one side is represented. The order, which will prevent the husband from entering the house, will last until a full hearing, during which he can give evidence.
A barring order of up to three years could be granted or denied after.
She was one of dozens of people to seek emergency orders at the court on Friday, one of whom was granted a protection order after alleging that her partner “throws water and spits on” their autistic child when the child cannot regulate their actions.
Several parents sought protection against their children, including an elderly man who alleged he had “often felt under physical threat” from his son, aged in his 50s.
His son had been living with him for several years, he said, claiming there were “constant episodes of verbal intimidation and verbal aggression” on a “daily occurrence”.
During the summer, the man who had mobility issues alleged that his son left him sitting in the middle of a beach for about 30 minutes “without explanation”.
He said he was “certain” this was an “act of emotional abuse”. He also claimed his son prevents family members and others from entering his home, which “isolates” him.
The man further claimed his son had twice left him in the house while the cooker was on, resulting in “extensive smoke”.
Furlong granted an interim barring order, which would see the son removed from the house. The judge added a clause preventing him from contacting his father.
In another case, a woman sought a protection order from her young adult daughter, whom she alleged had recently attacked her “out of nowhere”.
She claimed her daughter pushed, shoved and punched her after she asked if her daughter was okay.
“This has been happening for years. I even had to get cameras put in my home for my own safety,” she said, alleging she was afraid of what she would “do next”.
“It’s heartbreaking having to do this,” she said after being granted a protection order. She said her daughter was “out of control”.
The woman said a barring order would be the “next step if this doesn’t work”.