Margaret Loftus has said she is “living true to my oath” as a former Garda by demanding her violent ex is sacked from the force. 

Last week, Trevor Bolger, received a fully suspended sentence for assaulting her in 2012. At the time, both were serving members of An Garda Síochána. 

However, while Ms Loftus resigned from the force, Bolger remains suspended. 

On The Hard Shoulder, Ms Loftus recalled that she and her then husband had spent an evening with family and friends in a local bar in Mayo. 

 She noticed that something had “triggered his mood” and he later told her he was upset she had spent the evening speaking to her family. 

“That led to a very violent, prolonged attack on me that lasted for an hour to an hour and a half,” he said. 

“And the plea deal that he made with the DPP's office ensured that I could never in court give the full details of what happened.” 

In 2018, Ms Loftus made a formal statement about his violent behaviour and personally emailed it to the Garda Commissioner. 

Eventually, Bolger accepted a plea deal from the DPP, meaning he would plead guilty to a Section 2 assault. 

It left Ms Loftus feeling “absolutely devastated”. 

“Having been a Guard myself, I knew exactly what a Section 2 assault was,” she explained. 

“If you were walking down the street and someone spat on the footpath in front of you - and didn't even touch you or hit you - that person could technically be charged with Section 2 assault, if you believed that was threatening behaviour towards you.” 

'I am living true to that oath'

Ms Loftus knew people convicted of a Section 2 assault rarely spend time in prison, adding that she does not believe that she received justice. 

“When I signed up for An Garda Síochán I took an oath to protect and serve,” she said. 

“And I think by highlighting this and coming forward, I think I am living true to that oath. 

“Because right now as we speak there is some woman who's embarking on that journey that I went through and it is absolutely horrendous. 

“I said last night - and can't stress enough - how much this brought me and my entire family to our knees.”

Ms Loftus said the assault meant years of “psychological torture”, including terrifying nightmares. 

Concern for other victims

Now, her focus is on ensuring that Bolger never wears the uniform of a Garda ever again. 

If he returns to work, she has vowed to handcuff herself to Leinster House. 

“As a former member from Garda Síochána, it would be absolutely criminal on my part to knowingly know that someone who has terrorised me for years, to know that he's wearing a Garda uniform,” she said. 

“That there are victims and vulnerable people going into Garda stations every hour of every day and think that they could be in front of him and they look for help. 

“I just cannot, I cannot understand how a perpetrator of domestic violence would be able to carry out an impartial professional investigation for any victim.”

Anyone impacted by domestic violence can call Women's Aid for support on 1800 341 900.

Main image: Gardaí on patrol in Dublin city centre. Picture by: Leah Farrell/RollingNews.ie