Women’s Aid has praised the “incredible bravery” of the woman who pursued a domestic abuse case against Garda Paul Moody.
Moody was yesterday sentenced to three years and three months in prison for coercively controlling the woman, known as Nicola.
The court heard Moody sent her thousands of “vile, abusive and threatening” messages over a three-and-a-half-year period starting in May 2017.
It also heard he beat her, harassed her and her loved ones, threatened to kill her, damaged her property, and recklessly put her life in danger in his car.
Nicola delivered a harrowing Victim Impact Statement to the court on Monday and Women’s Aid last night praised her for her “incredible bravery.”
We stand with Nicola and are inspired by her incredible bravery. She stood in court today and gave a harrowing account of the abuse Paul Moody inflicted upon her and the impact it had. Read and share her powerful words. pic.twitter.com/i1oTnXfZDX
— Women's Aid Ireland (@Womens_Aid) July 26, 2022
In her statement, Nicola said she was “one of the strongest girls you’d ever meet” before the abuse began.
She said she “grew up believing I’d never let a man treat me badly” and would “never tolerate violence towards me.”
She said she now understands “how an abuser breaks you down and takes away your power and strength.”
🗣 “Nicola, we want to thank you for speaking up and telling your story”
Official Garda statement after one of their own was jailed today for coercive control.
Garda Paul Moody was caught after a colleague found thousands of abusive messages to his then girlfriend on his phone. pic.twitter.com/mWBMLkVAEY
— Frank Greaney (@FrankGreaney) July 26, 2022
Nicola said Moody was “very funny and charming” at the start of the relationship and the pair soon became very close.
“What I thought were intimate conversations were really a way for him to get info which he later twisted and used to emotionally blackmail me if I was ever to leave him,” she said.
She said he used his position as a Garda to get information about people in her life and then used it to intimidate them, destroying her relationships with family and friends.
Cancer
Nicola had Stage Four Cancer before she met him and when it returned, it “gave him more power over me”.
“He was aware of how weak and sick I was form chemotherapy and he stole my cancer medication’ knowing I couldn’t afford to replace it,” she said.
“One day I was driving to hospital with him in the passenger seat abusing me so bad I pulled over and told him to get out of the car. He then took my hospital bag with him.
“Later he came to the hospital. He told me that the only reason he was there was so he could watch me bleed to death”.
She said that was the last straw, “that was the day he broke me.”
"Beyond evil"
Nicola said the mental abuse she suffered was worse than the violence, noting: “He was beyond evil with his words.”
“I thought having cancer was the worst thing that ever happened me, but I believe he is worse than any cancer,” she said.
"Come forward for support"
She said she felt ashamed that she was putting up with the constant abuse and warned that, “the shame and judgement from other people allows the abuser to get away with so much.”
“Women are afraid to tell the truth,” she said.
“I have survived him with cancer so I want others to know they can too. I really want to encourage other people in a similar position to come forward for support.”
Moody pleaded guilty to one charge of coercive control.
Some 19 other charges, including assault, theft, criminal damage, and a threat to kill, were taken into account.
The maximum sentence for coercive control is five years.
If you or someone you know is impacted by any form of domestic abuse, please reach out for support.
You can contact the Women’s Aid 24-hour national helpline on 1800 341 900.
Details of all domestic and sexual violence services are available at stillhere.ie.
Reporting from Frank Greaney.
