A man who subjected his wife to a campaign of coercive control—isolating her, restricting her food, and limiting the heating in their home—has been handed a fully suspended 12-month sentence by the Central Criminal Court in Ireland. Despite pleading guilty to both coercive control and assault, and despite the victim’s harrowing testimony of psychological and physical trauma, the man will serve no time in prison. The sentence trivialises coercive control and puts the victims at far greater risk.
Surveillance, Isolation and Deprivation
The Journal reports that the court heard disturbing details of how the victim, a successful woman who moved to Ireland for an arranged marriage, was stripped of her independence. Having left her home country, career, and support network, she was left completely reliant on her husband and his family. What followed was not a marriage but a regime of domination.
She was isolated in the house and instructed not to leave. A security system with both external and internal cameras monitored her movements, and the footage was streamed directly to her husband’s phone. He allowed her to believe she was under constant surveillance, a form of psychological imprisonment.
Her food intake was restricted, and heating in the house was limited—an act of deliberate deprivation of her basic needs that left her physically weak and emotionally destabilised. She was financially dependent, trapped, and aware that every move could trigger scrutiny or punishment.
As her mental and physical health deteriorated, the situation escalated into physical violence. In one incident, he twisted her arm behind her back with such force it left swelling and bruising.
The Mask of Respectability
Despite the gravity of these actions, the judge deemed the crimes to fall “on the lower part of the spectrum” of coercive control. Citing the man’s guilty plea, expressions of ‘remorse’, and a psychological report stating he had become “more emotionally mature,” the court treated the offences with undue leniency.
Although the judge handed down a six-month sentence for the assault and a concurrent 12-month term for coercive control, he ultimately decided to suspend the full sentence, allowing the man to walk free under probationary conditions.
Also influencing the decision were character references from friends and family describing the man as trustworthy and supportive—testimonials that reflect how effectively abusers can mask their cruelty.
But professionals working with abuse survivors have warned that such perceptions are dangerously naive. Abusers are skilled manipulators. They can perform charm, humility, and repentance with precision—especially in environments like the courtroom, where credibility is currency.
Their violence often hides behind a mask of normalcy. Friends, family, and colleagues may never witness the abuse, making their glowing testimonials irrelevant to the terror victims experience in private. To weigh these character references so heavily is to misunderstand the very nature of domestic abuse.
The Danger Facing Victims After Reporting
Perhaps most dangerous is the silence around what happens next for the victim.
This woman risked everything to come forward. She spoke in court of the vibrant, joyful person she once was—how she has been left a shell of herself, “no longer recognisable.” Her words carry the pain of someone who has not only lost her freedom but her very sense of self.
And now, her abuser walks free.
Suspended sentences send a clear message to abusers: Your violence will be treated with leniency. But to victims, the message is far darker—come forward, and you may end up in more danger than before. The perpetrator now knows she reported him. He is out in the world, free to retaliate, resentful, and fully aware of how close he came to consequences without ever having to face them.
This is precisely why so many victims do not report. The system often fails to protect them not just before, but after the trial. In this case, the victim is likely now in greater danger, not less.
What This Sentence Signals to Victims
Coercive control is not a minor offence. It is a sustained, calculated campaign to dominate, break down, and erase another person’s autonomy. To dismiss such behaviour as “out of character” or “on the lower end of the spectrum” is not only inaccurate, it is insulting to survivors. The severity of the abuse is defined by the impact on the victim, and in this case, that impact was severe and long-lasting.
Courts have a responsibility not just to individual cases but to the wider message they send. By suspending the sentence in full despite clear evidence of coercive control and assault, the court has reinforced a dangerous precedent that with enough charm, a paper-thin apology, and no prior record, an abuser can evade justice entirely.
Victims deserve more than this.
Featured image: Man receives suspended sentence for coercive control in Ireland. Source: Tania / Adobe Stock.
