By Gordon Deegan
An east Clare man who told gardai that he carried out a number of exorcisms on his then girlfriend has been cleared of assaulting her.
At Killaloe District Court sitting in Ennis, Shane Gibbons (48) told the court that injuries to his then girlfriend may have been caused by demonic possession or by self harm “but they were not caused by me”.
Mr Gibbons of Ballynagleragh, Ogonnelloe denied the charge of assault causing harm to the woman at his home on August 17th, 2019.
In dismissing the charge, Judge Patrick Durcan said that Mr Gibbons’s defence and version of events concerning the occult, exorcisms and devilish possession should have been explored more by the State.
Judge Durcan also stated that he found the complainant “to be less than fulsome” under cross examination and stated that she remained silent when questioned by himself and solicitor for Mr Gibbons, Daragh Hassett, concerning previous unexplained injuries she sustained where the complainant had allowed Mr Gibbons take photos of the injuries.
Mr Hassett read out to court a text sent by the complainant in the past to Mr Gibbons which read: “I am so glad. I knew I needed the exorcism.”
Under cross examination from Mr Hassett, the woman denied that she was possessed by demons and asked to comment on the text message, she told the court that what took place wasn't an exorcism.
Judge Durcan stated: “There are so many conflicting and unsatisfactory aspects to this case and in the prosecution and investigation that I am not satisfied to convict and I dismiss the charge.”
Bruising
Judge Durcan found that Mr Gibbons did hold the complainant by the shoulder on the night but he stated that it was done in circumstances where there was no intention to cause any harm to the complainant.
In her evidence, the Co Limerick woman stated that Mr Gibbons flipped her onto her back and and pinned her down on the bed in the bedroom of his home in the early hours of August 17th 2019.
The woman stated that her upper body was bruised along with bruising to her thighs, wrists and bruising to her face and neck. She said that Mr Gibbons left the bedroom and she told the court that she dialled ‘999’.
The two were together for three years and the woman stated that their relationship ended that night.
In evidence, Garda Darren McLoughlin said that when interviewed concerning the assault allegation in October 2019, Mr Gibbons admitted to shaking his ex-partner by the shoulder only but stated that he couldn’t understand how she got the other marks. He denied assaulting the woman.
Exorcism video
When later presented with photos of her injuries, Mr Gibbons provided a prepared statement in December 2019 to Gardai containing his claim that his then partner was demonically possessed and that he had carried out exorcisms on her.
In his statement , Mr Gibbons said that he showed Gardai McLoughlin a video of him performing an exorcism on the complainant in 2016.
He told gardai: “It was an example of many exorcisms I have had to perform on her since.”
Mr Gibbons stated that he also provided to gardai a picture of his partner being attacked by a demonic entity in 2016 and that the photo showed scrape marks to her buttocks and scrape marks to her ribs from the attack by the demonic entity.
Mr Gibbons told gardai that at the outset of their relationship it was clear to him that his then partner “had a terrible issue in the form of a high level demonic possession”.
Latin texts
He stated: "It could take control of her at will and engage me in conversation - sometimes in Latin.”
He also told Gardai: “When she is low, she is particularly vulnerable to demonic influences. The effect of these influences can be extremely physical in nature, the entities can move objects, make objects disappear, phones, keys, holy medals and crosses and even have a grasp on technology - send texts.”
They expressed considerable concern that if any of these entities were successful in causing her death that the finger would inevitably be pointed at me
He said that once the entity takes over his ex-partner, “she can be pulled from the bed and physically assaulted for hours".
“When I was with her, I was able to prevent this from escalating but when I was not, she frequently suffered considerable bruising, biting and scratch marks."
“When I confided in my family, they expressed considerable concern that if any of these entities were successful in causing her death that the finger would inevitably be pointed at me.”
Asked by Judge Durcan to comment on Mr Gibbons’s ‘exorcism’ video, Garda McLoughlin stated: “There is something there when viewing the video. It is very, very strange and you do see her scraping herself.”
Mr Hassett stated that in the video the complainant appears to be a trance state and is incessantly scratching her wrists.
Judge Durcan asked Garda McLoughlin "do you accept that this woman has been the subject to possession by a demonic force and in the context of that possession were the injuries in this case perhaps self inflicted?”
In response, Garda McLoughlin stated: “Personally I wouldn’t believe in that stuff but it is a very strange case.”
Garda McLoughlin stated that the photos of the complainant’s injuries from 2016 and from August last year “would show similar injuries”.
I know she doesn’t speak Latin but I got text messages in Latin from her
Mr Gibbons told the court that at one stage he got a parish priest to say a prayer over the complainant when they were still together.
He told the court: “I know she doesn’t speak Latin but I got text messages in Latin from her.”
Under cross examination from Insp Aidan Queeney, Mr Gibbons stated: “I had been assaulted myself on occasions when she was in a trance state. I have had to hold her down and fend off knives, keys, anything and I didn’t phone the Gardai because I didn’t feel it was her.”
Insp Queeney told Mr Gibbons that he has presented “a completely bizarre and unbelievable version of events”. In reply, Mr Gibbons stated: “That depends on your viewpoint.”
