A man has been sentenced to eight years in prison after a vicious and prolonged campaign of violence and coercive control against his former partner. The court heard he carried out repeated brutal assaults, forced her to have an abortion and shared intimate private images of her on social media and with members of her family.

At Mullingar Circuit Criminal Court on Wednesday, Blaine Parker (24) was sentenced after his victim indicated she wanted him identified. Judge Keenan Johnson said the case was “without a doubt, the worst case of domestic violence I’ve seen.”

During the proceedings, it emerged that the young woman who endured a litany of violent physical attacks felt forced to undergo an abortion after Parker, described as a drug addict who was deeply in debt, threatened to “kick the child out of you”.

Passing sentence, Judge Johnson pointed to the persistence and savagery of the assaults that took place. He said the threats to kill the woman were numerous and serious and described the publication of the victim’s images as both disgraceful and demeaning. He also criticised “misogynistic online influencers” for playing a role in the rise of domestic violence.

The woman said in her victim impact statement that the relationship, which started in her teens, amounted to a nightmare of “mental torture”. While she said she had broken free from Parker’s control and found the strength to speak up, she continues to live with PTSD and long-term physical injuries caused by the abuse.

Domestic violence – and the escalating brutality that accompanies it – needs to be confronted head-on. Alongside it sits the mounting evidence of coercive abortion, regularly reported about here on Vital Signs but consistently avoided by those in power. This refusal to engage is indefensible. We will continue to expose it until the silence is broken and concrete steps are taken to address it.