A 48-year-old garda will be sentenced later this year for assaulting his wife in her childhood home with their young children in the room.
Trevor Bolger, with an address in Swords in Co Dublin, pleaded guilty to assaulting his wife, Margaret Loftus, 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 she wanted a Probation Service dealing with the steps that Bolger had taken to address his involvement in domestic abuse and his risk of reoffending.
She will sentence him at the end of October.
Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard that Trevor Bolger and Margaret Loftus met when they were both stationed in Ballymun in 2006 and married in 2010.
In October 2012, they attended Ms Loftus' brother's 30th birthday party in her native Co Mayo.
The court heard that Bolger was very annoyed at having to go to the event and when Ms Loftus 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 became irate.
In their bedroom, which was also Ms Loftus' childhood bedroom, Bolger hit her back and grabbed her hair, the court was told.
Detective Garda Rioghnach O'Sullivan said that Ms Loftus begged him 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.
Assault ended marriage, court hears
In a victim impact statement to the court, 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.
"I was supposed to protect the vulnerable ... not be the vulnerable"
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 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.
Bolger wrote letter of apology
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 he 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.
Ms Noctor said she was doing this to show that there was another side to Bolger.
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 gardai 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.
Judge Martina Baxter asked Ms Noctor what Bolger had done to rehabilitate himself following his involvement in the abuse of a spouse.
She said he had perpetrated an egregious assault on his partner in a room with their young children.
The judge said that she wanted assistance from the Probation Service in relation to assessing his risk of reoffending.
He will be sentenced on 30 October.
