A jury has unanimously returned guilty verdicts against a man who threatened to kill his partner and daughter with a knife at a house in Waterford city.
The 41-year-old man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was alleged to have pinned his partner against a wall before threatening to "cut her head off and kill everyone else" with a kitchen knife.
According to The Waterford News & Star, original statements were read in Waterford Circuit Court detailing the events of June 10th 2022 when the woman returned home from shopping to find out that her partner had been drinking.
An argument followed where her partner "pulled her by the clothes, [and] took a knife from the drawer" before threatening that he would "stab her" if she screamed.
Garda Kearney, who arrived at the scene following the alleged incident, noted that a knife was found under the TV at the house and that both the partner and daughter were in a state of distress.
Statements were 'all lies'
However, both the partner and her daughter attempted to change their evidence when they took to the stand at Waterford Circuit Court, claiming their original statements were "all lies."
Speaking in court, the assailant's partner stated that she made up the story because she "didn't like him drinking" and thought that the allegation would result in a prison sentence of just two or three weeks.
The woman's daughter also took to the stand where she displayed a similar change of tact. The 12-year-old claimed the man didn't have a knife and her mother "told her what to say" in the original statement.
The assailant also denied the charges. He claimed he didn't produce a knife or threaten his partner and her daughter.
Adding further confusion was the presence of another witness – a friend of the daughter who was present in the house during the incident. Giving evidence in court the daughter's friend stated that there was a knife on the man's person.
Following some hours of deliberation, the jury returned a unanimous verdict of guilty on all four counts of threatening to kill or causing serious harm.
The full court report can be read in this week's Waterford News & Star
