A Dublin man pleaded guilty to an act of trespass, and the misuse of a telephone after he sent his ex-partner a series of threatening and abusive messages after learning that she was seeing another man.
Martin Hughes (34) of Sheriff Street, Dublin 1 appeared before the Circuit Criminal Court this afternoon where Judge Orla Crow heard evidence of how he entered the woman’s apartment without permission on the 12th of December 2022.
The court heard that he “barged” past the woman and went into her bedroom after learning that she had become involved in a new relationship.
Prosecuting counsel, Jane Murphy BL told the court that when the accused was “looking around” the bedroom he was “screaming”, and that he said, “I can’t believe you’re seeing someone and have him around the kids”.
Gardaí were called, and the woman was “visibly shaken” when they arrived, Ms. Murphy said.
When Hughes was arrested by appointment on the 23rd of January 2023, he admitted that he was aware he was not welcome at the apartment, and said that he was “annoyed” about the woman’s new boyfriend.
On the 9th of December 2025, Hughes pleaded guilty to sending offensive audio messages to the woman, eight months after the act of trespass, when he found out that she was seeing the same man again after the two had initially separated.
Ms. Murphy detailed the contents of a number of text messages where Hughes told the woman, “I’m going to end the two of yous,” “you watch”, “You smelly tramp, I hate you”, “I hope you die”, “I can’t believe you chose that homeless,” and ,“You and your actions are the reason my head is so fucked”.
In an audio message, Hughes called the woman a “little smelly tramp geebag”, “I’m gonna stab the face out of him”, “Your apartment’s getting burned”, “you’re getting stabbed to death”, “your teeth are getting smashed”, and told her that her car would be “burnt out”.
After the woman made a complaint to Store Street Garda Station the accused was interviewed, in the midst of which he said, after caution, “I’ll get her, watch” and “ these fucking laws are made for women”, and “I’ll knock every took out of her head.”
Hughes has 17 previous convictions including threatening and insulting behaviour, drunk and disorderly behaviour, six for road traffic offences, one under the theft and fraud act, one under the misuse of drugs act, and one for making off without paying.
Defending counsel, Keith Spencer BL argued that his client and the injured party had been in a relationship for about 16 years and that he was “sorry” for his actions towards her.
He argued that Hughes was “emotional” about the “uncoupling” and that he had said “she’s the love of my life” and “I would never hurt her”.
Mr. Spencer argued that his client had never known who his father was, and that he had lost the opportunity to have that conversation with his mother who passed away when he was 20 years old.
After his mother’s death, he used cocaine and alcohol and was “completely emotionally deregulated,” Mr. Spencer said, adding that Hughes is “extremely embarrassed” by his actions towards his ex partner.
Judge Crowe said that the matter of the messages that Hughes was the “most serious” of the two charges before the court and that the nature of the threats was “very very serious”.
She said that the accused was now “entitled to put his best foot forward”, and adjourned sentencing until the 28th of April next to allow for the preparation of a probation report, as well as for urine samples to be examined for potential drug use.