A Kerry woman was "terrified and petrified" after the man with whom she was in a relationship for eight months suddenly changed, took her to a remote woodland, beat her and made her believe she and her family were in danger from a fictitious Dublin gang, a court heard yesterday.
The Circuit Criminal Court in Tralee was told that Robert Quigley, began extorting money from Bridget Donegan (21) to pay off the fictitious gang and she was now under serious financial pressure.
In November 2006, 2½ months after the incident, Quigley - who worked as a bouncer in Tralee - falsely imprisoned another woman in the Dublin mountains and brutally assaulted her. He was given a 12-year-sentence in Tralee last month for those offences, with the final four years suspended.
Reporting restrictions remain in place for that case.
Two weeks ago, Quigley (27), Seskin View Road, Tallaght, Dublin, pleaded guilty to assaulting and falsely imprisoning Ms Donegan at Dooneen Woods, Castleisland, on August 20th, 2006. He also pleaded guilty to making demands with menaces of sums of €4,000 and €8,000 and to stealing that money from Ms Donegan.
At the sentencing hearing yesterday, Sgt Helen O'Regan of Ballyheigue said Quigley and Ms Donegan, a shop assistant, had met in December 2005 and a romantic-type relationship started early in 2006.
On August 20th, 2006, they were in a car on the Limerick to Castleisland road and he started "getting thick with her", saying she was messing him about.
He drove the car off the main road and into Dooneen Woods. He was shouting at her and he claimed he had links to the late Martin Cahill, known as the General. He claimed he had a gun and help was coming to back him up. Two vehicles came into the wood and he said they were fellows from Dublin in the cars.
She was terrified and crying and he punched her on the face and caught her by the neck.
He got out pictures of her family and said they would not be harmed if she did what he told her. He struck her on the hand with a black baton.
She obtained loans of €4,000 and €8,000 from financial institutions, handing over most of the money directly to Quigley in early September. He also took her bank card and used it to withdraw the remainder of the loan money.
Ms Donegan was under the control of Quigley during this period and believed the threats to be real, Sgt O'Regan said.
In her victim impact statement, read to the court by Sgt O'Regan, Ms Donegan said she believed he was watching her movements and was now under huge financial pressure.
Anthony Sammon SC, for Quigley, said the incident happened after Quigley had been away for a week and because of "a quirk" in his character began to believe he had been betrayed. He said Quigley had been treated for depression and had not developed a mature and balanced personality. There were aspects in his make- up, especially "his preparedness to fantasise," which he would need to address, Mr Sammon said.
Quigley regretted what he had done and hoped the prison sentence already imposed for the previous crime would give him an opportunity to avail of psychiatric services in the hope he could find inner peace.
Moran will be sentenced by Judge Carroll today.