Dublin death: ‘Not in our wildest dreams did we think Dad was domestic abuse victim'

Sunday World

a day ago

James Ryan's family are seeking justice for their father, who was unlawfully killed last year by Olesja Hertova
Karen and Lynn Ryan speak on the loss of their father James
Only after James 'Shey' Ryan was killed did his family learn the extent of the domestic abuse he was suffering at the hands of his long-term partner.
'After my father was killed, the investigating garda asked me, 'Did you know your father had two safety orders against Olesja?' My mouth dropped open,' his daughter Karen Ryan told us.
'But he didn't activate these safety orders. We didn't know she had been abusing our father.'
Olesja Hertova, now 50, pleaded guilty to the unlawful killing of her partner of 16 years outside the home in Balbriggan, Co Dublin, that the couple shared with their teenage daughter.
Mr Ryan (69) died last year in the early hours of Saturday, August 10, after being pushed to the ground by Hertova.
Last month, the Czech mother of two was sentenced to two years and nine months in prison. The sentence, backdated to when she entered custody, is 'an insult not just to our family, but to all domestic abuse victims', his daughter said.
The family have now lodged a complaint with the DPP. They are seeking an internal review by the state prosecutor into how the case was handled, with particular focus on evidence presentation and sentencing procedure.
Karen and Lynn Ryan are seeking a review by the Director of Public Prosecutions. Photo: Mark Condren
The attack that left Ms Ryan's father dead was captured on CCTV belonging to their neighbours.
'Seconds before the attack, he walked out of the house to get away from her. He walked past his car. She then blindsided him by running at him from behind. It was like an American football tackle. My dad's head bounced off the ground twice. She then dragged his unconscious body back between two cars. But this wasn't shown in court,' she said.
The father of four died in hospital the following day.
I knocked on the door. She thought I was my dad and shouted out, 'F**k off, you're not getting back in'
Hertova initially told the Ryan family and others that her partner had suffered a fall in Balbriggan earlier that day. When Ms Ryan learned that CCTV footage existed of Hertova pushing her father and had been handed to gardaí, she confronted her. Only then did she admit she had 'nudged' him. She was arrested seven days after the attack and charged.
Her and Mr Ryan's teenage daughter, Ellie, was in the house when her father was killed. Now aged 16, she has lived with her sister Karen and other members of the Ryan family since then.
When Mr Ryan struck up a relationship with Hertova after meeting her socially in Balbriggan, his daughter, Karen, had some reservations.
'He was a lot older than her. She is only a couple of years older than me,' she said. 'The first time I met her, she came into hospital the day after I'd had my son. She just threw herself at me, which was the last thing I wanted. She was always very full on. She just tried too hard. I said to my Dad, 'Just please be careful'.
'Within 12 months, Hertova was pregnant and they'd moved in together. She had a son in the Czech Republic, whose father had custody of him.'
Another red flag came a few years later. Mr Ryan was minding Karen's two young children one day. When she drove to her father's home to collect them, she found them all standing outside the house in the rain.
'That's when I knew something wasn't right. I knocked on the door. She [Hertova] thought I was my dad and shouted out, 'F**k off, you're not getting back in'.
'Who leaves their partner and two little kids out in the lashing rain? But my dad would always defend her. Ellie was a young baby then. I thought Ole [Olesja] might have postnatal depression. But I was fuming, shaking with the anger.'
The late James 'Shey' Ryan
In 2010, not long after that incident, Ms Ryan received a phone call from gardaí. She was told her father had contacted them because Hertova had hit him. They also notified the child and family agency, Tusla, because the couple's young daughter was present.
Ms Ryan was shocked, but her father played it down, saying it was a 'one-off' because Hertova had been drunk.
'I said to him he couldn't have that going on with a young child in the house. I told him in no uncertain terms, 'If anything like that happens again, I'll get that child removed from the house'. At that stage, my concern was for my sister Ellie, not my father.'
As the couple's relationship progressed, the Ryan family became aware that Hertova had a problem with alcohol, which got worse.
It was Mr Ryan, rather that Hertova, who first raised Ellie, ensuring she got to and from school and attending parent-teacher meetings.
Then, in 2022, he was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. This devastated him as he was 'a person who could fix anything and everything', his daughter said.
He was a real family man. He would do anything for his kids and his grandkids
Ms Ryan and other members of the family had noticed he was often bruised, but they put this down to falls linked to his medical condition.
'The guilt we feel as a family is unbearable,' she said. 'Not in our wildest dreams did we think he was a domestic abuse victim. But he was.'
Unbeknown to her, her father had begun the process of obtaining safety orders against his wife, in 2018 and again in 2022. She believes he intended to take their daughter and leave Hertova at the time of his death.
Mr Ryan, a former member of the Defence Forces who went on to work in the bar trade, was loved by all who knew him.
'He loved GAA and rugby and was a real family man. He would do anything for his kids and his grandkids,' his daughter said.
'The last time I saw him was a few days before he died. My car broke down and he came and fixed it for me straight away. That was him, always there to help. I still drive past that spot. The last thing I said to him was, 'Thanks, Dad'.'
She and her sister, Lynn, have applied for legal guardianship of Ellie.
Where was my father's voice in this? He didn't have one. We are trying to be his voice now
The Ryan family believe that had the sentencing judge had the option to inquire if there was a history of domestic abuse in their household, Hertova's jail sentence would have been longer.
In imposing sentence at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court, Judge Martin Nolan said that on the night in question, Hertova lost her temper with Mr Ryan and pushed him forcefully.
'I have no doubt that she did not intend to kill him,' he said.
He noted that she has no previous convictions and, due to her previous good character, he said he did not believe she would re-offend.
But the Ryan family have vowed to fight on.
Karen Ryan said: 'Gender should not matter. We'd like if sentencing judges have the power to ask if there was any history of domestic abuse in cases like our dad's, because there was and it should have been allowed in evidence.
'Where was my father's voice in all of this process? He didn't have one. We are trying to be his voice now.'
If you have been affected by any of the issues in this article, call Men's Aid Ireland on 01 554 3811, email [e-mail] or see mensaid.ie