Man accused of stabbing fellow asylum seeker at Wicklow direct provision centre

Tom Tuite

A man accused of stabbing a fellow asylum seeker following a dispute at a direct provision centre in Co Wicklow has been held on €2,000 bail.

Georgian national Ramazi Nalchutsrishibili (39), formerly of Bray Manor, Bray, appeared before Judge Ciaran Liddy at Dublin District Court accused of assault causing harm after an alleged "completely unprovoked attack".

A bail hearing was told that two males had a verbal dispute that continued onto Meath Road on Monday.

Detective Garda Brian Saunderson claimed the accused had punched the man in a completely unprovoked attack before the injured party ran out. The accused allegedly followed him "with a knife in his hand".

According to the prosecution's bail objections, Mr Nalchutsrishibili ran after the injured party and stabbed him in the shoulder area.

The court heard the accused works as a labourer earning €700 a week, plus €30 social welfare.

He has been in Ireland for a year having claimed asylum, and has been staying in direct provision centres, most recently at Bray Manor, where 22 other Georgian nationals have been accommodated.

The detective raised concerns and said the accused did not have many ties to this jurisdiction, noting his wife and child live in Georgia.

Cross-examined by defence counsel Garrett Casey, the detective agreed the accused had virtually no English.

Mr Nalchutsrishibili listened to the proceedings with the assistance of an interpreter.

The detective accepted his incarceration while still presumed innocent would be particularly stressful for a defendant with no English.

Detective Garda Saunderson knew the accused had a cousin living in Ireland, but said he was not sure how long that man had been here. Counsel said it was for 18 years, and he lived in Dublin.

Pleading for bail, counsel said his client worked in the construction industry as a labourer. He added that the accused only had about €600 in his bank account, and sent most of his money home to his family.

He had lived in direct provision centres since coming to Ireland, and counsel argued that there was no basis for an outright refusal of bail.

No passport

The court heard he had no passport or national ID card, and would undertake not to apply for travel documents.

The detective said the accused had destroyed his passport upon arriving in Ireland to seek asylum.

Judge Liddy set bail at €2,000 cash and said the accused would have to contact his family to return some money.

On release, he must provide gardaí with a new address, sign on three times a week at a garda station, not apply for travel documents and stay away from the alleged crime scene.

He was remanded in custody with consent to bail and will appear at Cloverhill District Court next week.

Gardaí must seek directions from the Director of Public Prosecutions about his trial venue and if the case will be sent to the higher level and heard in the Circuit Court.