Man jailed for five years after threats to partner and baby

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

Patrick Stokes was jailed for five years after pleading guilty to arson and offences involving his partner, Louise Kavanagh. The arson at their home on February 2, 2017 caused €21,000 in damage. He also pleaded guilty to assault causing her harm, threatening to kill or seriously harm her, and falsely imprisoning her at a Sandyford hotel on March 11, 2017.

The court heard that during the hotel incident Stokes attacked Kavanagh, threatened to kill her and their six-month-old baby, and threatened to rape her. Judge Martin Nolan described the assault as very serious and said the threats were believable. He said Stokes regretted his actions and might want to reform, but the court could not know whether he would.