Garda receives suspended sentence for assaulting former wife; she says court process was as damaging as abuse

This report is a localnews.ie summary based on public court reporting and records; sources are listed below.

Trevor Bolger was given a three-month sentence, suspended in full on strict conditions, after pleading guilty to assaulting Margaret Loftus in 2012. Judge Martina Baxter said he had committed a serious breach of trust as a garda; the maximum sentence for the offence was six months.

Outside court, Loftus said the criminal justice process had been as damaging as the abuse. She described a 14-year journey involving 58 court appearances, criticised the plea deal and urged people experiencing domestic violence to come forward. Chief Superintendent Ian Lackey thanked her for speaking up and said the force had zero tolerance for domestic abuse by its personnel.