*The sitting of the Family Law Court was held on Friday.
A JUDGE has given a Co Clare man a 6pm Sunday deadline to vacate the marital home after his wife obtained an Interim Barring Order (IBO) against the man.
At the Family Law Court on Friday, the man, aged in his 60s, told Judge Alec Gabbett that he will “end up on the side of the road. I have no place to go, I will be homeless”.
He said, “I’m not able for this. I didn’t know I had to get out of the house – I didn’t understand”.
Judge Gabbett granted the IBO to the woman after saying she has been effectively made a prisoner in her own home.
Judge Gabbett told the man “you are going to have to leave the house”.
Judge Gabbett warned that if he doesn’t “you will be in breach of a court order otherwise you will be in bigger trouble”.
The man asked, “Is there someone trying to put me to jail?”
In reply, Judge Gabbett said, “Not yet – if you abide by the order there will be no issues on that”.
Judge Gabbett said that he made the IBO ruling “for protection of both people, I am protecting both of you”.
Judge Gabbett told the man that “based on what I have heard – I have no choice but to insist that the order is abided by”.
The man said that “a lot of stuff” put out there in court earlier this week “is wrong” concerning his behaviour towards his wife.
At the initial ex-parte IBO application earlier this week when the husband was not present, Judge Gabbett said that his concern is the ongoing psychological damage in the case.
He said the wife in the case “can’t get out the gate and she is locked in – that is the real problem”. He said, “He doesn’t even let her talk to other people.”
In reply, solicitor, Ann Gillane, for the woman who was present in court said, “He doesn’t even let her eat – he feeds her”.
Asked why by Judge Gabbett, Ms Gillane said, “I don’t know”.
After reading the woman’s statement outlining her grounds for the domestic violence order, Judge Gabbett said to her, “You are effectively a prisoner in your own house.”
Ms Gillane told the court that an initial Protection Order was served on the man last week following an application by his client.
She said, “I have serious concerns about my client’s welfare going back into that home with her husband because of her mental condition she doesn’t have the same level of concern”.
Judge Gabbett said that the man appears to have features of paranoia by building high walls and gates thinking the world at large is against him and his wife “is very much the victim of that and I am very concerned about”.
Ms Gillane said that “this has been going on for years”.
She said that the man has excluded her client from her family. She said, “He has basically locked her family out. Her family are not allowed in. He has built high walls.” The woman said that her husband has given her the keys of the gate.
Judge Gabbett adjourned the case to July 6th for a full hearing into the IBO and told the man he must get legal representation.
