Jailed for violent assault on girlfriend

A woman who survived a horrific and violent assault at the hands of her former boyfriend in a local hotel room addressed him in court last week, saying: “I am seeking justice and standing my ground.”

At Cavan Circuit Court, before Reece Murphy (23), Carla Johnson bravely read her powerful victim impact statement from the witness box, telling Judge John Aylmer that she never thought she’d be strong enough to do this. “But I have, and I am proud.”

Murphy was jailed for two and a half years and told he was fortunate he was not facing “more serious charges”.

Long-term effects

Ms Johnson described the enduring mental and physical effects of the abuse she endured during her brief five-month relationship with Murphy - a trauma she says she will carry “for the rest of my life”.

“I’m affected mentally, suffering from severe depressive episodes, anxiety, paranoia, PTSD,” the young woman said. She required months of psychiatric care and counselling, support she continues to receive.

Reading from her statement, she recalled being “left a shell of myself” as a result of Murphy’s behaviour, which made her feel that her loved ones didn’t care.

“I had everything going for me before I met him. Family, good job, friends, support networks, and slowly but surely I lost everything.”

‘Brainwashed’

She felt “brainwashed” by Murphy, originally from Ballyjamesduff via Dublin, into believing her loved ones had “no respect” for her.

“He always told me, all I needed was him. Anyone who knows me knows I’m a good hearted and caring girl, and I was severely taken advantage of.”

Ms Johnson’s mind still returns to the incident in a second-floor bedroom at the Farnham Arms Hotel in Cavan Town on June 23, 2022.

“The things you’ve done, said and called me will never, ever leave me. But I have been brave enough and strong enough to stand my ground. I did fight you off once in that hotel, but I learned the hard way. I got a worse beating for trying to defend myself.”

For months afterward, Ms Johnson told the court that her two younger brothers practically guarded her, refusing to leave her side - even following her to shops to “make sure you were never touching me again” or to “make sure I wasn’t running away with you again like I used to”.

She reflected on the heartbreak her ordeal caused her family too. “I broke my mam’s heart. My now deceased granddad’s too. He would be so proud to know I’m getting justice today.”

Ms Johnson remembered how she had supported Murphy, who appeared already in custody awaiting sentencing for a similar offence - making a threat to kill another partner in Kildare, where he now lives. She recalled taking him in when “he had nothing, encouraged him to seek help for his own issues”- support she now believes he exploited because “he preyed on vulnerable” people.

Murphy pleaded guilty to assault causing harm to Ms Johnson in June 2025, with charges of false imprisonment and a threat to kill to be taken into account. His plea came at the eleventh hour, after a jury had been empanelled.

He was 21 at the time and had no previous convictions.

“I didn’t feel safe for a long time after you, always looking over my shoulder,” Ms Johnson said, explaining she had to take time away from her education out of fear that Murphy might “get me again”.

“I could write a book genuinely on the abuse and the many different occasions you put my life at risk,” said Ms Johnson, who was just 19 at the time. She now works full-time, has finished college, and has rebuilt her life with the support of family and friends.

“I hope nobody ever treats anyone the way you treated me. My family even struggled in trusting me to choose a decent partner after you, as they didn’t understand how I kept going back to an abuser. So how was I going to be trusted again? It took me a long time to get that back.”

She concluded by saying she still struggles to comprehend the harm she endured.

‘Destroyed’

“I look back at photos of my malnourished, bruised body, and I still cannot grasp at times what happened to me. Remembering back, I used to look at other relationships and to myself and I’d wonder, ‘does he hit her too?’. Pulling hair, pushing, shoving, kicking was also normal to me.

“I was in a long-term relationship for four years prior to this, and I remember comparing our five-month relationship, wondering how in four years down I never got a hand lifted to me. Yet in five months with Reese I was destroyed.”

Garda Brian Greevy gave evidence, led by prosecutor Frank Martin BL, instructed by State Solicitor Fiona Baxter. The court was told gardaí were called after hotel staff became concerned by shouting and raised voices from an upstairs bedroom.

In her statement, Ms Johnson reported Murphy telling her: “I’ll follow you to your home and kill everyone.” He pulled her back into the room “by the hair,” asking “who does she think she was”, before taking her phone.

Murphy grabbed her legs and “pulled her to the floor” before putting his “arms around her neck”, cutting off her windpipe and causing her to “struggle for air”.

At another stage, he gripped her nose between his teeth, scolding her for “looking for help from other people”. He also placed a pillow over her face, sitting on it in an attempt to smother her. When Ms Johnson started to cry, Murphy called her “attention seeking” and told her to “shut up”.

A punch by Murphy caused her mouth to bleed.

No admissions

Murphy was arrested after meeting gardaí by arrangement but made “no admissions” in interview and later returned to make “accusations” against Ms Johnson.

No medical report was provided, though the court was asked to consider Section 40, legislation relevant to offences in the context of a relationship.

Murphy was represented in court by James McGowan SC, instructed by Sara Brennan BL and John O’Doherty Solicitors. Regarding his late plea, Mr McGowan said it was entered when certain “influences” were “absent on the day”.

Probation and psychological reports were presented. The court heard Murphy’s father was killed, and his mother had him selling drugs from a young age after the family moved to Cavan. He began smoking cannabis in hi teens, abusing benzodiazepines by 14, and cocaine by 17. He is now drug-free, with letters from Merchants Quay Ireland and Cuan Mhuire presented.

Apology

A letter of apology addressed to Ms Johnson was read aloud:

“I deeply regret my actions. I’ve learned a lot about how wrong it was. I am sorry you had to go through what you did. Nobody deserves that. Since then, I have learned a lot about myself and spent my time in custody making sure nothing like that ever happens again.”

He described himself as an “emotionally, mentally unstable, immature boy with a lot of issues”. He has since learned to “manage” his emotions.

“No one deserves to go through what you have. I apologise for everything that has happened. I commend you for getting through this and I wish you all the best in life. I know this letter won’t take away the past, but I hope you are able to move on.”

Murphy has attained “enhanced” status as a prisoner in the Midlands, engaging in multiple courses. A probation report placed him at “moderate” risk of reoffending.

Sentencing

Judge Aylmer described the offending as at the “upper end of the scale”, meriting imprisonment of four and a half years. Mitigation reduced the term to three and a half years.

To encourage rehabilitation, the judge suspended the final 12 months for 18 months under supervision, with conditions including: probation service oversight, abstaining from alcohol and drugs, that he attend MOVE Ireland (Men Overcoming Violence), attend counselling, and engage fully with mental health services post-release.