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FORMER GARDA MARGARET Loftus has said the experience of pursuing justice after experiencing domestic abuse at the hands of her Garda ex-husband was as “traumatising and damaging as the abuse”.
Her ex-husband Trevor Bolger (48), who has been suspended from the force since December 2019, received a three-month suspended sentence last week after pleading guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to assaulting Loftus on 25 October, 2012.
The court heard the maximum penalty for the assault, under Section 2 of the Non-Fatal Offences Against the Person Act which is normally dealt with summarily in the District Court, is six months imprisonment or a fine.
In her victim impact statement, Loftus described the attack, which occurred after a family event at her childhood bedroom in Co Mayo, as “protracted” and “terrifying”.
Speaking with Miriam O’Callaghan on RTÉ’s Prime Time tonight, Loftus said the only reason her ex-husband stopped the assault, which she estimated lasted for an hour and a half, was because she promised not to have “anything to do” with her family again.
“I sat on the bed the entire night, sitting up with my children in both arms and I prayed to God and I said Hail Marys the entire night. I swore that I would never let that happen to us again. I have made good on my promise, I have done everything that I can possibly do to ensure that we are safe,” she said.
Loftus said she is “very dismayed” at the judicial process. Her case involved a total of 58 court appearances.
She also expressed disappointment in the initial reaction from An Garda Síochána after she informed them of the assault.
“There was no reaction, there was no action taken after it. So I think it’s very natural for me to perceive that that was my punishment for standing up for myself,” she said.
She praised the investigating team involved in her case, particularly Garda Commissioner Justin Kelly, who was senior investigating officer at the time.
Loftus said she’s confident that An Garda Síochána treat cases of domestic violence with enough seriousness now, but said she is “not confident” the force are addressing internal problems with members who are domestic abuse perpetrators.
She said her ex-husband’s behaviour “went unchecked”. “After he was formally investigated and interviewed for threatening to kill me, he was promoted and given a state issued firearm”.
An Garda Síochána said this evening that the Garda Commissioner has “made it very clear that there is zero tolerance for domestic abuse outside and inside” of the force.
“In the last couple of years, An Garda Síochána has invested significantly in tackling domestic abuse. This has included the creation of dedicated protective service units in each of the 28 Garda Divisions that have Garda who are specially trained in investigating domestic abuse and providing support to victims,” they said in a statement.
An Garda Síochána said they encourage any Garda personnel who are victims of domestic abuse to come forward and reassure them they “will be treated sensitively and will be listened to”.
The statement said that since his appointment, Commissioner Kelly has regularly spoken about the need for An Garda Síochána to improve its initial response to victims of domestic violence.
As of 1 December 2025, the number of Gardaí suspended for alleged domestic violence/coercive control was 11.
Loftus is encouraging other survivors of domestic abuse to seek justice.
“For anyone that lives with domestic abuse, it’s like living in a concrete box, with no way out. Nothing you have to face, no matter how hard the judicial system has been for me, it has still been better than being in that relationship,” she said.
“The only way perpetrators are going to continue to flourish and continue to abuse in our society is by us staying quiet. Silence only protects abusers”.
Speaking to people who are living in fear due to domestic violence, Loftus said “there is a wonderful life after abuse”.
“There is a fabulous place to live, to thrive and to flourish,” she added.
If you have been affected by any of the issues mentioned in this article, you can reach out for support through the following helplines:
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