A judge has adjourned the sentencing of a garda for assaulting his wife, who is also a garda, for "an assessment of the genuineness of his remorse".
Trevor Bolger, with an address in Swords in Co Dublin, assaulted his wife Margaret Loftus in her childhood home with their young children in the room over 13 years ago, in October 2012, after they attended a family party in Co Mayo.
Ms Loftus, who is also a member of An Garda Síochána, said that her ex-husband had tried to break her but she had become stronger.
Bolger has been suspended from the force since he was charged in December 2019.
Judge Martina Baxter said that Ms Loftus' victim impact statement was "impressive and insightful".
She said they were both gardaí, both were aware what the process was and Ms Loftus indicated she was not going to accept such behaviour.
Judge Baxter described Bolger’s apology as "somewhat limited" and said it had come "very late in the day".
The judge thanked the victim for her "forbearance" and adjourned the case until January "to see where we are".
The court previously heard that Bolger and Ms Loftus met when they were both stationed in Ballymun in Dublin in 2006 and married in 2010.
In October 2012, they attended Ms Loftus' brother's 30th birthday party in her native Co Mayo.
Bolger was very annoyed at having to go to the event and when she went to talk to members of her family in the pub, he sat at the bar drinking and did not speak to her.
When they got back to her family home, where they were staying, he got angry.
In their bedroom, which was also Ms Loftus' childhood bedroom, Bolger hit her back and grabbed her hair.
Detective Garda Ríoghnach O'Sullivan said that she begged her husband not to hurt her or their young children, who were also in the room.
Det Gda O'Sullivan said the assault marked the end of the marriage and the next day, Ms Loftus' father stood beside her as she told Bolger the marriage was over.
He was interviewed in 2018 and 2019 and denied being involved in assaulting his then-wife.
In her victim impact statement to the court at the previous hearing in June, Ms Loftus said she had been assaulted in the place that she would have called the safest place on earth.
She said the assault was so violent and terrifying that it ended her marriage. She added that her fear was heightened because her children were present.
After the assault, she said, she spent the entire night praying and promised God that she would never be in that situation again.
Ms Loftus said she left the marriage as she felt that, if she did not, her life would be at risk.
She told the court she chose not to live in fear and did not want to be an "ad on the telly" for domestic violence.
In her statement, Ms Loftus also said that her decision to leave had impacted her professional relationships in An Garda Síochána.
"I was supposed to protect the vulnerable," she said, "not be the vulnerable".
She said she felt that her colleagues treated her differently and there was a stigma attached to her.
She also asked how her ex-husband could continue to protect the vulnerable when he had assaulted her.
Ms Loftus told the court that being on the other side of the fence was very difficult and she felt the system that she used to protect was used against her.
She said it had taken 13 years to get to this point, but "truth and justice must always prevail in the end".
Ms Loftus told Bolger that he had done his level best to break her and had made her suffer every single day of her life since she left him.
However, the experience had made her stronger, she added, and she urged all victims of domestic violence to come forward.
In mitigation, Senior Counsel Cathleen Noctor said that her client was the youngest of seven children and cared for his elderly father.
In the aftermath of the assault, Bolger had admitted himself to St Patrick's Hospital as he was suicidal.
She read numerous testimonials from friends, family and sporting organisations he was involved with.
The court also heard that he no longer drinks alcohol.
She asked the court to take into account his guilty plea, his 20-year record of service in An Garda Síochána, and his positive contribution to society both within the gardaí and in the community.
Ms Noctor said that he had written a letter of apology to Ms Loftus and was offering €6,000 in compensation, which she was willing to accept on behalf of their children.
