RING STING | 

Woman tried to swallow engagement ring when told it was being seized as part of CAB probe

Judge David McHugh struck the case out, leaving her without a criminal conviction after Partridge made a €300 charity donation.

Yesterday at 07:46

A woman whose husband was targeted for a Criminal Assets Bureau (Cab) search refused to hand over her engagement ring to officers, telling them they would have to “cut her finger off” to get it.

Joyce Partridge (38) put the ring in her mouth and tried to swallow it when she was told it was being seized as part of the Cab investigation. She had been recently married and got “very upset” at being asked for the ring her husband had given her, a court heard.

Judge David McHugh struck the case out, leaving her without a criminal conviction after Partridge made a €300 charity donation.

Partridge, with an address at Riversdale Road, Clondalkin pleaded guilty to obstructing Cab at Ashley Hall, St Edmund’s, Lucan last February 24.

Garda Sergeant Maria Callaghan told Blanchardstown District Court that bureau members went to the Lucan address where the accused was residing to carry out a search of the apartment.

Partridge was there and near the end of the search, the officers explained to her the items that would be seized including the engagement ring she was wearing.

The accused refused to take it off and said: “you’re not getting this f**king ring, you’ll need to cut my finger off to get it”.

The officers explained the situation to her and she told them: “I don’t care, you’re not f**king taking it.”

She jumped up from the sofa and began shouting, then said she needed to use the bathroom. The officers told her she could use it but she would have to hand the ring over first.

Partridge took it off and “put it in her mouth in an attempt to swallow it”, Sgt Callaghan said.

She was arrested and brought to Ronanstown garda station. The ring was taken and was still in Cab custody when she appeared in court but was due to be returned to her.

The accused had been in her car on her way to work when Cab arrived and was “extremely upset”, her solicitor Wayne Kenny said.

She answered the questions to the best of her ability. Partridge was “extremely embarrassed” by her behaviour but wanted to stress that she was not the target of the search.

The target was “very much her husband”. They had only been married for a couple of months when the incident happened, Mr Kenny said.

Mr Kenny asked the judge to consider leaving Partridge without a criminal conviction.

Judge McHugh said it was a “highly unusual situation” but the balance of justice lay in favour of striking the charge out on payment of €300 to charity.