A man who put up bail for jailed ex-Garda Paul Moody has branded him a “monster” and vowed never to visit him in prison.
Socialite Mark O’Keefe, who had Moody as best man at his wedding and posted €8,000 bail when he was charged, has cut ties with the caged brute. Last night, a close pal of Mr O’Keefe, who owns the Brown Sugar hair salon chain, told how he’d been left “sick to the pit of his stomach” by the evil former officer’s crimes.
On Monday, 42-year-old Moody was jailed for three years and three months for a reign of terror against his former partner who was battling terminal cancer. A close friend of the Brown Sugar boss said Moody had told him the entire case against him was a misunderstanding.
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But he was horrified to hear details of the abuse Moody inflicted on his partner, including punching and kicking her and threatening to “stick a knife” in her. Moody sent her 652 vile text messages in one 14-hour period – one every 90 seconds – described her as being “riddled with cancer” and said he hoped she’d “bleed to death”.
The pal told the Irish Sunday Mirror: “He [Mark] is sick to the core that his name is aligned to this horrendous court case in any way. Mark, as well as others who know Moody, could never have imagined the monster he was or what he did.
“The poor woman’s life was a living hell. He won’t be going to see him in prison. He hasn’t been friendly with him for a number of years. He is not friendly with him now, nor in any way close to him.
“When Mark was put in a position and asked... to pay his bail he was told it was all a misunderstanding and that he was pleading not guilty. When he was told the whole thing was a misunderstanding by Moody he believed him.”
The pal added: “Out of the goodness of his heart he gave the bail money and is now questioning why he did it. We all have friendships which evolve and people who we once were close to are no longer because circumstances change.
“Unfortunately, just like many other people, Mark was taken in by what was said to him. There was a period of time when they were friendly and he would never have thought, like so many others I’m sure, of what Moody was capable of.”
Read more: Survivor of 'torture' by former garda speaks about how he was caught
In a piece for the Irish Times in 2013, an unsuspecting Mr O’Keefe described his then pal Moody, who he met in 1999, in glowing terms. He said: “What really strikes me is the difference between Paul the guard and the Paul who’s been my best friend for 13 years. I know cuddly Paul, fun Paul – he’s a big big guy but he’s very soft... Paul doesn’t have a temper, there’s not an aggressive bone in his body.”
Disgraced Moody, who resigned from the force and is entitled to a pension, was in line for a promotion to sergeant before he was charged with coercive control. Now prisoner number 116829, he is set for a transfer from Mountjoy to protective custody at the maximum security Midlands Prison amid concerns for his safety.
A source said Moody would be targeted due to the fact he is a former garda and the severity of the abuse he inflicted on his victim. The source said: “Even inmates were sickened to hear what he had done to that poor woman. Add to it that he is a former garda and he’s very likely to have a hard time. He will probably be kept in protective custody for the duration of his sentence.”
Read more: Evil ex garda who abused terminally ill partner to be kept in prison isolation
With standard remission Moody could be released by the end of 2024. Moody, who was stationed at Irishtown Garda station in Dublin, admitted a campaign of terror against his victim named in court only as “Nicola” to protect her identity.
He pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to a charge of coercive control, with 19 other charges taken into account. These included assault, theft, criminal damage and a threat to kill the woman.
The brute beat, kicked, punched and choked the woman over a two-and-a-half year period. The court heard he sent her 31,000 threatening, abusive, degrading and demeaning texts and told her he hoped she would “die of cancer” and “die in pain”.
Read more: Evil Garda who told terminally ill ex he wanted to 'watch her bleed to death' jailed
In one message after they had rowed on holiday, Moody messaged the victim and told her she was a “dirtbox” accusing her of “flaunting your body around the pool”. In another message he threatened to stick a knife in her.
He stole her cancer medication and at one point visited her in hospital and told her he was only there to watch her “bleed to death”. Moody joined the Garda in 2000 but was suspended from duty in March 2021 following a search of his home arising out of the probe.
There are currently 110 gardai suspended from duty with 17 under investigation for sexual assault, according to figures from the Department of Justice. Another 10 members of the force who are on forced leave are being investigated for domestic violence.
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President of the Garda Representative Association Brendan O’Connor said he would welcome a change to the pension system since Moody was able to resign with it intact. He said gardai were shocked at Moody’s despicable actions adding: “It’s very difficult for members [of An Garda Siochana] to deal with.”
Moody was caught after he made a complaint to gardai about a member of Nicola’s family and handed over his phone as part of the probe. Detectives realised he was terrorising her when they discovered a litany of vile and abusive messages on the handset.
After his conviction Nicola spoke out about the pain and suffering she had endured. The brave 43-year-old was highly critical of a social worker who she said did not believe her story.
She also hit out at friends of the ex-garda who continued to give him support after he was charged and later pleaded guilty. Nicola said Moody’s horrific campaign has finally come back to haunt him. She added: “While trying to destroy my life, he actually destroyed his own.
"He tried to lie and come after a member of my family with false evidence. No other human being should treat another human being this way. It’s cruel and beyond evil.”
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