A MAN was jailed for three years with the final 12 months suspended after he falsely imprisoned his ex-wife in what was a terrifying ordeal for the woman, a court heard.
Marius Juozaitis (46), of Claureen, Kilteragh Dooradoyle, Limerick, pleaded guilty before Limerick Circuit Criminal Court to one count of false imprisonment on July 27, 2024.
Mr Juozaitis’ sentencing hearing heard the victim had previously taken out a barring order against the defendant, however the court order had expired prior to Juozaitis illegally entering the woman’s home as a trespasser.
Juozaitis and the woman had been estranged at the time but they had entered into an agreement that he could do jobs around the curtilage of the house, but he was not allowed inside the property.
When he illegally entered the house, Juozaitis went to sleep, the court heard. The woman left to go shopping and when she returned she went to her room as she was afraid of waking Juozaitis.
When he eventually woke up, Juozaitis cut off the electricity supply and internet at the woman’s home and started kicking and barging her door asking her to come out, the court heard.
Prosecuting barrister John O’Sullivan, instructed by State Solicitor Padraig Mawe, assisted by Garda Cliona Ní Conghalaigh, Mayorstone Garda Station, heard the victim was “terrified” and feared Juozaitis would break down her door.
The victim said she heard a drill at her bedroom door, which the court heard was Juozaitis drilling into the keyhole.
“I close you in prison, you won’t get out,” Juozaitis told the victim.
Juozaitis kept the victim in the room against her will for over two hours. The victim eventually contacted Gardaí who came and freed her and arrested Juozaitis.
The victim told Gardaí that Juozaitis, who was intoxicated at the time, kept telling her “I’ll kill you” during the ordeal.
“I’m very scared of him, he shouts at me and calls me names,” the victim also told Gardaí.
Juozaitis had eight previous convictions for breaching barring orders; drink driving; driving without a licence and without insurance; attempting to drive while intoxicated; and public order offences.
In 2020, he was given a 12-month suspended sentence for causing criminal damage at the victim’s home and breaching a barring order on March 2, 2022.
Mr O’Sullivan said Juozaitis had entered the woman’s home and splashed petrol around the inside of the property and set fire to a door.
Juozaitis threatened to kill the woman and Gardaí and barricaded himself inside the victim’s home before Gardaí eventually arrested him and charged him in court.
Juozaitis was given bail and returned to the victim’s home the following day, breaching the terms of another barring order. He retrieved a bag of clothes and broke an outside light as he left.
The Director of Public Prosecutions appealed Juozaitis’ suspended sentence on grounds it was too lenient and the sentence was increased to two years with the final 12 months suspended.
Juozaitis’s barrister, Pat Barriscale, said the defendant’s relationship with the victim and his family had improved and he had not come to Garda attention in the past two years.
Mr Barriscale said Juozaitis attained sobriety after he was informed by doctors “that if he continues drinking he will die”.