A NURSE with decades of experience was granted a protection order against her alleged violent, coercive husband who threatened to report her to the Nursing Board, and withheld an award of money from an accident for himself, a court was told.
The woman explained to Judge Desmond Zaidan that though they still live in the same house and have a child, she is divorcing him, and was seeking the order for “emotional and financial abuse”.
“Once I said I was divorcing him, he said he’d report me to An Bord Antralrais (Nursing Board),” she said.
“You have a lot of experience, but my concern is the coercive control, which got worse, you say,” noted the judge, reading her previously submitted written statement.
“During some proceedings he threatened to put you in prison, report you to the Nursing Board, and said you had a poor education?” read the judge.
“Even this morning he asked me where I was going, and I had to tell him I was going to meet friends,” she said.
“Belittling your parenting skills?” asked the judge.
“He says I’m abandoning our child by going to work,” she said.
“This is back to the Stone Age!” exclaimed the judge.
“Are you the main bread-winner?” he then asked to which she said: “yes”.
“I didn’t see any of the money, he opened a separate account,” she said.
“Where was the trust?” asked the judge rhetorically.
“He monitors your phone, restricts your movements, harasses you at work to pay bills?” asked an incredulous judge.
“Has he hit you?” he asked.
“Yes,” said the woman.
“Did you get any help for that?” No,” she answered.
“You’re like a shell of your former self,” the judge continued reading.
“You are in good hands with Teach Tearmainn,” said the judge, noting the accompanying social worker.
“You don’t have to suffer in silence given the long history of your marriage. You are doing the right thing … I’ve given you the Protection Order”.
He set 23 November as the date for a full hearing.
