Garda 'manning issues' delay arrest of alleged substation trespasser, court told

High Court reporters

Garda "manning issues" mean an order for the arrest of a man allegedly trespassing at an electricity substation cannot be executed until next week, the High Court has heard.

On Wednesday, Mr Justice Mark Sanfey ordered the arrest of Glen Oglesby, who claimed he had been living in a caravan on the ESB-owned substation site at Gloucester Place Upper in Dublin's north inner city because he said he had nowhere else to go.

The ESB says the site is unsafe for human habitation and sought the arrest order over Mr Oglesby's continuing failure to obey an earlier order that he remove the caravan.

The case returned before the judge on Friday, when John Punch SC, for the ESB, told the court that gardaí have said the order would not be processed until next week "due to manning issues".

Garda Superintendent Cormac Brennan, of Store Street Garda station, was in court to explain the position if the judge wanted to hear from him, Mr Punch said.

The judge said he did not see the point because the Garda Commissioner was saying it is an operational matter, however, he added he was "a little disappointed" that his order will not be acted on until next week.

Mr Punch said Mr Oglesby, who has not appeared in court since he did so first on May 3rd, had been given "a huge amount of leeway" and every opportunity provided to him to remove his caravan.

The "ball now was firmly in the Garda Commissioner's court", he said.

The judge said his concern was that this site was dangerous, and it was not the normal trespass handled by the court.

If gardaí execute the warrant earlier, Mr Oglesby can be brought before the judge sitting over the weekend, Mr Justice Sanfey said. Otherwise, he himself would deal with it next week, he added.