Wife killer living in Wicklow jailed again for slashing ex-partner’s car tyres
The Wicklow PeopleA man previously convicted of murdering his wife has been jailed for damaging a former partner’s car.
Anton Mulder (65), with an address at the Gala Apartments, Tinahely, Co Wicklow, appeared before a special sitting of Bray District Court.
He had pleaded guilty in March 2026 to one count of criminal damage.
Inspector Darragh Jennings told the court that the State had withdrawn a second count of criminal damage against Mr Mulder.
Garda Darren Gray of Shillelagh Garda Station stated that on January 24, 2026, gardaí responded to a complaint from the injured party, who is Mr Mulder’s former partner, alleging that he had punctured the tyres of her car.
The court heard that the defendant used a “short, sharp implement” to stab the complaints tyres, causing damage valued at €30.
Counsel for Mr Mulder, Ciara O’Brien, told the court that her client made certain admissions during interview and entered an early plea after reviewing the CCTV footage.
Inspector Jennings informed the court that Mr Mulder has several previous convictions from Northern Ireland, including robbery and handling stolen property.
The South African native had previously been sentenced to life imprisonment at the Central Criminal Court in 2008, after being found guilty of murdering his wife, Colleen Suzanne Mulder, at their home in Dunshaughlin, Co Meath shortly before Christmas 2004.
Mrs Mulder was found dead in an upstairs bedroom of the house the couple were renting on December 17, 2004. She was wearing pyjamas and had been strangled.
The court heard during that trial that Mr Mulder had told a colleague it would be easy to kill his wife in Ireland, as he would “only get a few years for manslaughter”.
Mr Mulder had previously been convicted of murder following a five-day trial in May 2006.
However, that conviction was later overturned on appeal by the Court of Criminal Appeal, which ordered a retrial due to inappropriate interaction with the jury by Ms Mulder’s brother.
Her brother was jailed for contempt of court following an outburst during jury selection in the original trial.
He was also involved in an incident in which he approached a juror and read out a newspaper article about the case.
Inspector Jennings noted that the new conviction, handed down this week, will have an impact on Mr Mulder’s parole, as he had been released on licence after serving 15 years for the strangling of his wife.
A victim impact statement, read to the court by Inspector Jennings, stated that the injured party suffered financial loss due to time taken off work to attend court proceedings, as well as the damage to her tyres.
She added that she had “battled to sleep” due to fears that Mr Mulder “might seek revenge”, which has made her more security conscious.
In mitigation, Ms O’Brien said her client is a father of nine and had not seen his children in “a while” due to his previous conviction.
She said he is originally from Durban, South Africa, where he was raised alongside the injured party.
The court heard that Mr Mulder worked for KFC in a managerial role after moving to Ireland in 1990.
Defence counsel said the defendant credits himself with helping to bring the brand into the Irish market.
While in prison, Mr Mulder obtained a bachelor’s degree in criminology and psychology without internet access, relying solely on books which “impressed his lecturer”.
Ms O’Brien said that since his release, Mr Mulder has been working. Due to his licence conditions, he was required to reside at the same address as the injured party, even after the relationship became “tumultuous”, which impacted his mental health.
Judge Peter White remarked on the victim impact statement and the effect of the offending on the injured party.
He noted that Mr Mulder’s education while in custody was a “double-edged sword”, and that he should have known better.
Judge White imposed a six-month sentence, taking into account mitigating factors, including the early guilty plea, and backdated it to January 2026 when Mr Mulder was remanded in custody.
Legal aid was granted, with an application by Ms O’Brien to extend it to cover counsel refused by the court.