Jury acquits city man in trial for false imprisonment and threats to kill

Galway Bay fm newsroom – A 48-year-old city man has been acquitted by a jury of charges of imprisoning his former partner and her young child and threatening to kill the woman and a Garda. The jury of eight women and four men deliberated for two and a half hours following a four-day trial this week before unanimously finding Mervue native, Paul Cullinane, of 34 Beal Srutha, Ballybane, not guilty of six charges at Galway Circuit Criminal Court. Paul Cullinane had denied the false imprisonment of the woman and her then 9-year-old daughter at a house in Ballybane on December 27, 2012. He also denied threatening to kill the woman on December 27, 2012 and again on April 17, last year. Cullinane further denied threatening to kill Garda Marvin Lee during the same alleged incident in April and with assaulting the woman in December. The woman said she had ended her relationship with the accused in November 2012, but he had no where to go and she agreed to let him stay until he found a place in the New Year. She told the jury he hit her in the face on December 27 and tried to stab her with a butter knife. Her daughter was with her at the time. He then held a mattress down on top of them and she found it difficult to breathe, she said. The woman said she obtained a barring order but Cullinane came to her home in April. She called the Gardai and in the presence of Garda Lee, Cullinane rang and threatened to kill her and the Garda. The now 10-year-old child gave evidence during the trial by video link. During Garda interview, Cullinane denied the woman's allegations and said she had used and brain-washed her daughter to give evidence against him.