Affairs with other women 'often fizzle out,' judge tells Kildare couple
‘I didn’t have the courage to tell anyone,’ woman tells judge
“This could fizzle out; a lot of them do. This is my experience (in these cases)," Judge Desmond Zaidan told a couple in dispute at Naas District Court.
The woman sought a barring order against her husband. The couple were present for the family law case and were also separately legally represented.
The woman alleged that the man was having an affair with a work colleague.
She said she lives with him and they have a young child.
She alleged he had an extra marital affair, which started in 2023 and she had seen erotic messages of a sexual nature on his phone. She alleged some of the messages discussed "doing sex and other stuff.”
She also claimed that when she raised this with him an argument developed and this escalated.
“He strangled me and he punched me,” she claimed.
She also claimed that he had told her to cover the wounds which followed because they were going on an outing with members of the family.
The woman handed in pictures which she said detailed her injuries and stated that the man was not violent until she confronted him.
She claimed she was slapped multiple times in the face and she did not report the matter to the gardaí because “I didn’t have the courage to tell anyone.”
She also said she contacted the other woman and “said please stay away from my husband and don’t break my marriage.”
The woman further alleged on one occasion he had a knife and she locked herself into a room.
She also claimed that he threw the child on a bead and their head struck the headboard.
She said she eventually reported the issue to the gardaí and he was arrested.
Solicitor Brian Larkin, who represented the man said the man had not been in the house and he was living with a friend.
Mr Larkin also said the man cannot stay with this person indefinitely and he described the man’s living circumstances as “coach surfing.”
Mr Larkin stressed that the man disputes what was being said about him in court.
He said the man was paying the bills relating to the family home, including the mortgage.
He said the man doesn’t want to live in the same house as his wife but wants her to pay half of the mortgage and half of the bills.
Mr Larkin added: “He does not accept the vast majority of these allegations.”
Judge Zaidan intervened, urging the parties to take time to think and said the man risked losing his family.
When the hearing resumed after a brief hearing, the court was told that an agreement had been reached between the couple.