An author and coercive control survivor who suffered years of abuse at the hands of a serving garda said abused women are ‘not being believed’ by the authorities.
Nicola Hanney spoke out after new figures provided by the DPP confirm there has been just 25 successful prosecutions since legislation making coercive control a criminal offence was enacted six years ago. This is despite separate figures which confirm more than 60,000 calls alleging coercive control were made to garda stations across the country last year alone.
Out of the 25 convictions recorded since January 2019, just two people were convicted on a sole charge of coercive control. But in these two instances – which includes Nicola's case – the perpetrator was originally charged with more offences.
In her critically acclaimed memoir, Stronger: What Didn’t Kill Me, Made Me, Nicola Hanney detailed the living hell she endured at the hands of Garda Paul Moody, who was sentenced to three years
and three months in prison for coercive control in 2023.
This abuse included smashing up her apartment, threatening to take their newborn son away while she received cancer treatment and isolating her from her friends and family.
Nicola Hanney described coercive control an ‘assault on the mind’, and said it is ‘shocking’ that more perpetrators have not been convicted. She told the Irish Mail on Sunday: ‘I’m one of the two [where the sole charge was coercive control]. There were more charges to start, but they were dwindled down to one charge of coercive control.’
The resolute mother, who was being treated for stage four cancer at the time of her abuse ordeal, said all women ‘deserve to be free’. She added: ‘It’s a life sentence for women, but the evidence shows they aren’t being believed. Domestic abuse is not being taken seriously in the country still.
‘Two convictions [for sole coercive control] is shocking. Coercive control is an assault on your mind, it’s a horrible form of abuse.’
In response to queries from the MoS, the Office of the DPP confirmed ‘the total number of convictions recorded on our case management system for the offence of coercive control contrary to section 39 Domestic Violence Act 2018, since the enactment of the Act is 25’.
Asked how many of these were for standalone coercive control convictions, a spokeswoman confirmed: ‘Just two.’
In stark contrast to the low level of convictions, gardaí confirmed that provisional figures show there ‘in excess of 61,000 domestic abuse related contacts in 2024’ to stations across the country.
Nicola, who continues to advocate for abused women, said she is ‘not surprised at all by low levels of convictions’ given the stories she hears from victims.
She added: ‘People are begging me for help, they feel they are not being believed and some just give up because of that.
‘I can understand why women give up and live a life of hell. It’s like you’re being defeated all the time.’
Ms Hanney warned that, unless the justice system changes, ‘women are going to take their own lives. And what about the children who are witnessing the abuse? It will have a lifelong effect on them.’
She told the MoS: ‘It should be a human right that you’re protected. But my heart is broken for these women. The lack of convictions in sending out terrible message.’
