A 25-year-old Dublin man has been jailed for three years for coercively controlling and threatening to kill his ex-girlfriend while they were in a relationship.
Aside from physically and verbally abusing the woman, Daniel Lynch, of Longdale Terrace in Ballymun, also controlled her finances and social media access.
The court heard Daniel Lynch would take his girlfriend’s money every week, leaving her with just €20. He’d then spend her money on drugs.
He had full access to her phone, including her WhatsApp messages and social media accounts like Instagram and Facebook.
In September 2021, the guards were called after he attacked her in his parents’ home. She was ten weeks pregnant and had asked him for money to buy pregnancy supplements. He denied laying a hand on her, claiming she was the aggressor.
The woman later miscarried.
When she tried to leave him a few months later, he sent her a voice note threatening to kill her “stone dead” and leave her “in a hole.”
The woman said she felt brainwashed and lost all sense of self-worth.
Lynch was sentenced to three-and-a-half years in prison today, with the final six months suspended.
Reporting by Frank Greaney
