A man who followed his wife for over 40km in Donegal despite a protection order being in place has been warned to abide by the terms of the order.
The man, who is in his 50s and cannot be named for legal reasons, was brought before Letterkenny District Court on Monday.
The court heard that a protection order is in place, but he followed the woman and put her in fear.
A Garda gave evidence of the arrest, charge and caution of the man at the weekend. After being cautioned, he made no reply to the charge.
He pleaded guilty to a charge of breaching a protection order, contrary to section 33 of the Domestic Violence Act 2018.
The Garda told the court that a call was received from the complainant regarding the breach of a protection order and the suspect was arrested.
It was alleged that the man followed her for a considerable distance and she spotted the man while travelling on the road “a number of times”.
The woman was in court for the short hearing.
“She was in fear that he was going to do something,” the Garda told the court.
The man’s solicitor, Mr Patsy Gallagher, said the two were married for a “long time” and still reside together in the same house.
“She was going to a dance, but he believed that it was another venue she was going to,” Mr Gallagher said. “He understands the order that is in place; it’s not a barring order, it’s a protection order.
“It is a marker. I have advised him very firmly in relation to these orders.”
Judge Ciaran Liddy warned the accused man that the court takes such breaches “very seriously”.
“Offences like these can follow you around and it is very important to respect these court orders,” Judge Liddy said.
As this was the man’s first time before the court and given that he pleaded guilty, Judge Liddy found the facts proven and struck it out.
“You won’t get a further opportunity like this,” Judge Liddy warned. “Please respect the privacy and the terms of the protection order.”