A Garda has been jailed for three years and three months for subjecting his ex-girlfriend to what was described as over three years of 'absolute hell.'
With reporting restrictions now lifted, he can be named as 42-year-old Paul Moody, who was stationed at Irishtown Garda Station in Dublin at the time.
98fm's Courts Correspondent Frank Greaney has this report, which some may find distressing.
Paul Moody pleaded guilty to coercively controlling the woman over a three-a-half-year period, beginning soon after they met online in May 2017.
During that time, he sent her tens of thousands of 'vile, abusive and threatening' messages.
The court heard he also beat her, harassed her and her loved ones, threatened to kill her, damaged her property, and recklessly put her life in danger in his car.
Moody, who has over twenty years’ experience in An Garda Síochána, is currently suspended but intends to resign, which means his departure won’t be delayed by internal disciplinary proceedings.
In her victim impact statement yesterday, the woman described him as very funny and charming when they first met but said he quickly turned into a monster.
🗣 “Nicola, we want to thank you for speaking up and telling your story”
Official Garda statement after one of their own was jailed today for coercive control.
Garda Paul Moody was caught after a colleague found thousands of abusive messages to his then girlfriend on his phone. pic.twitter.com/mWBMLkVAEY— Frank Greaney (@FrankGreaney) July 26, 2022
Today, the judge described him as a bully who made her life hell before jailing him for three years and three months.
