A criminal who assaulted, raped and coercively controlled his partner during a six-week relationship in which she endured “violence and extreme degradation”, will remain in prison after a court on Friday rejected his appeal against conviction.
Dean Ward (38), also known as Dean Alexander Fowkes, used a different name on first meeting his victim, Sinéad O’Neill, through an online dating website.
He was convicted following a trial in June 2022 of 12 offences; four assaults, one false imprisonment, one making a threat to kill, two counts of production of articles [that could be used as weapons], three counts of rape and one count of coercive control on dates between June 11th and July 17th, 2019.
Ward, who was jailed for 17 years, does not accept the verdict of the jury and continues to maintain his innocence.
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Ward, formerly of Ballintlea, Hollyfort, Gorey, Co Wexford, was also jailed in 2016 for four years for falsely imprisoning and assaulting a young mother in November 2015. In that case, Ward and that woman had met on the internet dating website Plenty of Fish and Ward attacked her on their third date in the woman’s own home.
Shortly after Ward and Ms O’Neill met in May 2019, he effectively moved himself into her home in Killybegs, Co Donegal.
During the next six weeks Ward repeatedly attacked Ms O’Neill, spraying mace into her face, tying her up, choking her and then raping her, threatening her with a hammer and punching her in the face. He controlled her access to friends and family, took over her online banking and monitored her whereabouts, social media and mobile phone use and removed her contraceptive device as she slept.
Ward has nine previous convictions in this jurisdiction, including a prior conviction for assaulting and falsely imprisoning another woman during a relationship in 2015.
Ward appealed his conviction, arguing evidence given by Ms O’Neill that he had previously tried to kill her and references to him “moving money” between her bank accounts was prejudicial. He also claimed her testimony about the effect Ward’s abuse had on her should not have been admitted.
Dismissing Ward’s appeal against his conviction on Friday, Mr Justice John Edwards said the victim’s evidence of believing that Ward had made previous attempts to kill her, of being in fear on that account, and as to how she was affected by that fear was all properly in the case. He said the jury members were entitled to receive it and make of it what they would.
He said the evidence was both “relevant” and “potentially probative” and found the trial judge was correct not to discharge the jury following applications by the defence.
Passing sentence at the Central Criminal Court in July 2022, Mr Justice Kerida Naidoo set a headline sentence of 18 years. He said there was virtually no mitigation, but he suspended one year on condition that Ward obey the instructions of the Probation Service after his release.
Ms O’Neill’s ordeal came to an end only when her boss realised something was wrong and spoke to her and advised her to go to An Garda Síochána.
Mr Justice Naidoo said that such was Ward’s level of control that they had to come up with an escape plan to get her out of the house long enough for armed gardaí to move in and arrest Ward.
At Ward’s sentence hearing, Ms O’Neill told the court she had led a quiet, happy life and had wanted someone to share it with.
“It only took him six weeks to destroy me,” she said.
