Man allegedly attempted to strangle a woman at Laois property

Bail was granted to a man who appeared in court accused of assaulting a woman by strangulation in Laois. 

The man (34), who has a Dublin address,  is accused of assault causing harm to a woman at an address in Laois on July 9, 2025. 

He appeared before a sitting of Portlaoise District Court where Garda Kirby Cox objected to bail. 

She told the court that she had responded to a call about an attempted strangulation at a property at around 5.30am on the date in question. She said it would be alleged the accused had ingested a full tray of street tablets known as zimos on the night. 

Garda Cox said the man was in an intimate relationship with a woman at the property but a disagreement arose between the pair. She said the woman had said she would scream for her sister and it is alleged the man then started shouting at her before pushing her to the ground and putting his hands around her neck and squeezing her neck “challenging her to call her sister” now. 

The woman got free and called gardai and the man fled the property. Gardai arrived and observed bruising around the woman’s neck and on her arms, the court was told. 

“She was in a very distressed state. She said she was in fear,” Garda Cox said. 

Photographs of the bruising were produced in court. Gardaí located the man at Harpurs Lane in Portaloise. He was arrested and made no admissions.  

Objecting to bail, Garda Cox said the defendant is allegedly addicted to drugs and she cited the serious nature of the allegation and the strength of the evidence.

The alleged injured party gave evidence of being “terrified” during the incident. She said the man put his hands around her neck and said “now scream for your sister”. 

“If he gets out today he can go back to Dublin, I don’t want him near me,” she remarked. 

Solicitor Josephine Fitzpatrick said her client has been staying in a hostel in Dublin. She said he made no admissions, enjoys the presumption of innocence and “has provided me with a slightly different account” of what happened at the property.  

She suggested he sign on daily at a garda station, have no contact with the woman and she said she had provided a mobile number to gardaí where her client can be contacted at all times. 

Judge Andrew Cody said it was “a very serious offence and there may well be further serious charges” but the man does enjoy the presumption of innocence.  He said it was quite clear that the marks on the woman’s neck were consistent with her account. 

He granted bail on condition that he have no contact in any way with the alleged injured party, stay out of the county of Laois save for court appearances, obey a curfew between 8pm and 8am and sign on daily at a named garda station in Dublin and that he appears in court on each and every remand date. 

He remanded the defendant on bail and adjourned the case back to Portlaoise District Court on July 24 for DPP directions and to monitor the man’s compliance with the bail conditions.