A man has been convicted of strangling his then partner at her home in County Carlow last year.
Paul Rowland (36), of no fixed abode, pleaded not guilty at Carlow Circuit Criminal Court, to two charges of assaulting the woman causing her harm on January 25 and January 26, 2025. He further pleaded not guilty to intentionally or recklessly strangling the woman on January 29, 2025.
The offence of strangulation is a new offence that was added to the Non-fatal Offences Against The Person Act of 1997 when it was revised in 2023. It comes under Section 3(A) assault causing harm and is defined as non-fatal strangulation or non-fatal suffocation.
The woman told the jury during the trial that on January 29 last year she was lying on her bed when she heard footsteps on the stairs.
She got up to see who it was and saw Rowland on the stairs. She said he was intoxicated and grabbed her by the neck with one hand, causing her to fall back onto the bed. He then got on top of her and put both hands around her neck.
The woman said she could not breathe, her colour was changing, she was losing focus and she feared she was going to die. She ultimately managed to loosen his grip and get away from him.
She said Rowland took her son downstairs but she got up off the bed, followed him and got her son back.
She then barricaded herself and child into the bedroom and contacted the gardaí.
The jury convicted Rowland on the charge of strangulation following almost three hours deliberation. The jurors found Rowland not guilty on the two assault charges.
Judge Mary Morrissey told the jury that their “diligence and attention” showed during the trial was “incredible”. She excused them from jury service for five years and told the members the court was “grateful for the time you put in”.
Rowland was remanded in continuing custody for sentence next March 6 next.
ADDITIONAL EVIDENCE
Earlier in the trial, the woman said that on January 25, 2025 Rowland tripped her in the bathroom and she fell against the toilet bowl, causing her nose to bleed and causing her to be dizzy.
Rowland claimed that he was lying on the bed when he heard the woman fall. He said she had tripped over their toddler son, causing her fall.
The woman told the jury that the following day she was checking a bag on the floor of her daughter’s bedroom when Rowland came in and pushed a pool table that had been leaning against a chest of drawers, which then struck her in the face.
This caused swelling to her nose and bruising to her eyes.
It was put to the woman in cross-examination by Tara Geoghegan BL, defending, that she was rummaging through bags in a cluttered room, causing the pool table to dislodge and strike her.
Counsel suggested that Rowland heard it fall and came to her assistance. The woman did not accept this.
Detective Garda Kayleigh Milward told Brian O’Shea BL, prosecuting, that she and her colleagues responded to a call around 7pm on January 29, regarding a domestic dispute in a housing estate in Carlow.
She said she could see Rowland in the front window of the sitting room. Officers knocked on the door and the accused opened it. She said he was “incredibly evasive and would not overly engage with us”.
She said she could hear the “sound of a female” who appeared to be in distress and then the woman walked down the stairs holding her child.
“She was very, very emotional and said Mr Rowland had tried to strangle her,” Det Gda Milward said.
She said she could see red marks on the woman’s neck, bruising to her face and a cut to her nose.
Det Gda Milward said she and the woman went into the kitchen and the woman told her that Rowland had strangled her.
She said Rowland was arrested and brought to Carlow Garda Station. She described him as being intoxicated and said a doctor later deemed him unfit for questioning due to his level of intoxication.
Det Gda Milward did not accept a suggestion from Ms Geoghegan in cross-examination that her client was not intoxicated on arrest.
“He was definitely intoxicated – the doctor was impartial to the investigation and he deemed him unfit for questioning,” the detective replied.
Det Gda Milward read Rowland’s memo of interview with gardaí into the record.
Rowland replied “no, no, no” when the woman’s statement in relation to the strangulation was put to him during garda interviews.
He acknowledged that he had a verbal disagreement but when he was again told that the woman said he wrapped both hands around her neck, that she was unable to breathe and was very close to passing out – he replied “No”.
Rowland admitted there was an “exchange of words” and said they were in “each other’s faces”.
He replied “no” when asked by gardaí if he assaulted the woman at any point that evening.
Rowland was shown photographs of the woman’s neck but he told gardaí he didn’t see any marks or bruises on her neck.