‘All Paul Moody would ever say is that he loved me, but he put me through hell’ – ex partner of garda jailed for coercive control speaks out

In July final yr, Moody was jailed for 3 years and three months for the coercive management of his critically sick accomplice, Nicola.

She has damaged her silence in a documentary, Taking Again Management, to be aired on RTÉ tomorrow week, December 11, detailing how she met and fell in love with Moody and the way they went on to have a toddler collectively as his violent and controlling behaviour escalated.

Nicola had been given the all-clear from most cancers the yr earlier than she met Moody on-line.

“I went on to a relationship app and I obtained a message off Paul. Right away, we hit it off. We had that click on,” she stated. “A few occasions he stated, ‘I don’t wish to spend at some point with out you’. I didn’t clearly assume he meant it, however he truly actually did imply it.

“I believe after the yr I’d had… I craved hugs and all of the intimacy. To really feel that love felt nice. It felt superb. What I didn’t realise at that stage is that it was unsuitable.”

The Dublin hairdresser stated “purple flags” quickly turned obvious. Buddies and her sister seem within the programme and inform of their early considerations about Moody’s maintain over Nicola.

At a social gathering, one in every of her associates stated jokingly: “I do know you’re in love with my good friend, however it’s important to share her.”

“He misplaced it,” she added. “He began hurling abuse at me. I used to be in shock.”

​After that incident, Moody went again to Nicola’s place and destroyed it. “He smashed up my condominium… He smashed all of the items and destroyed the picket flooring. This was all stuff I had saved up for. I by no means had the cash to interchange these items,” she stated.

Later, he despatched her pictures he had taken a while beforehand of her whereas she was within the lavatory and unaware. He advised her he would put them on the web.

Nicola determined to finish the connection. She met him to inform him it was over. He then adopted her in his automotive, tried to trigger her to crash, and hurled abuse at her out of the window.

“I assumed, ‘Who would even imagine me if I advised them he did this?’ Then a couple of days later, I found I used to be pregnant. I advised him to go and get the assistance he wants if he needs to be a part of the infant’s life. He didn’t take it too effectively.”

Mid-term, Nicola found a lump in her breast and knew the most cancers was again. “I used to be petrified,” she stated. “However now I used to be anxious about my child inside me. What’s most cancers going to do to my child? Why would God give me a child if he was going to provide me again most cancers? From then on, I wanted Paul.”

As she rekindled the connection, Moody at first was supportive, however warning indicators started to emerge.

The couple have been at Portmarnock seashore and had an argument. As Nicola had a troublesome being pregnant, she was unable to stroll with out assist. Moody stormed off and left her.

“He sat on the bonnet of the automotive and watched me crawl again. Some folks assume, how might somebody be that merciless? That’s Paul.”

On the day she was scheduled to enter hospital to provide start, they argued within the automotive. Nicola was driving and Moody pulled the keys out of the ignition. She pulled over and requested him to get out of the automotive. He did — however took her hospital bag with him.

He confirmed up on the hospital a couple of hours later, with out the bag. Nicola stated: “I used to be nonetheless excited. Nothing was going to damage this second. I used to be residing each day to fulfill my valuable son.”

Moody’s behaviour within the hospital obtained worse and he was requested by workers to go away.

“The midwife heard him abusing me. He was escorted out of the constructing,” Nicola stated. “The worst factor he stated to me that day was, ‘I solely got here right here to observe you bleed to demise’.

“I don’t assume I’ll ever recover from that. One factor is for positive, I like and adore my son. So if that is what it took to get him, each single factor was price it.”

When Nicola and the infant obtained dwelling, Moody had cleared out the nursery. “He stripped my entire condominium so I might go dwelling to nothing,” she stated. “My son stored me alive in these moments. However not lengthy after, the most cancers unfold.”

She carried out intensive analysis about therapy and located a clinic in Bangkok she felt might assist. She needed to depart her son behind, as she didn’t have Moody’s permission to take him abroad. She was lonely throughout therapy, however did it within the hope she might proceed to reside for her youngster.

Moody went out to see her with their son. “Paul got here on to me,” she stated. “I didn’t wish to have intercourse. So he flung a two-litre bottle of water throughout my head. He ripped up my garments and he was choking me. He was spitting at me.

“After an hour of being attacked, I ran out. I obtained a taxi to the airport. All Paul would ever say is that he beloved me, however he put me by hell.”

Moody repeatedly threatened and blackmailed Nicola’s household and associates. His abuse got here to mild when he voluntarily handed in his cell phone to gardaí after making a false allegation towards one in every of her kin.

An officer contacted Nicola and stated: “We all know what Paul Moody is doing to you. Would you want our assist?”

Nicola stated giving a sufferer impression assertion has helped her heal.

“Nobody is proud to say one thing like this has occurred to them. No-one needs to be bullied. After I obtained off the stand, I felt like I took again some self-respect.”

Her worst worry is that her son might nonetheless be raised by Moody ought to her well being fail sooner or later. She has made strikes to make sure this can’t occur, and guardianship has been faraway from him.”

She has additionally appealed to any one who may be struggling abuse from their accomplice to talk up.

“There’s all the time hope,” she stated. “I’ll ask anybody who’s struggling in silence to take one step. You by no means know the place it’d lead you.

“I really feel very fortunate to be alive and reside a stupendous life with my son for so long as I can.”

Taking Again Management, produced by Tremendous Level Movies, will likely be broadcast on Monday, December 11 at 9.35pm on RTÉ One and RTÉ Participant.