Man arrested after stand-off with armed Garda

Tom Tuite

A Dublin man has denied claims that he used his car to drive his ex-partner's vehicle into a barrier before a stand-off with armed gardaí.

The accused, in his mid-40s, has been charged with flouting a safety order but cannot be named due to the reporting restrictions of the Domestic Violence Act.

Judge Áine Clancy heard on Monday at Dublin District Court that the accused had been subject to the order since November last year.

He was arrested earlier this month after the complainant went to a north Dublin station distressed "and shaking in fear".

She reported that she went to work in her vehicle and that the accused followed in his car, drove beside her and began shouting out his window and attempted to force her car into a side barrier.

He was aggressive, and Armed Support Unit gardaí dealt with him using a negotiator.

The judge noted that the objection to bail was grounded in witness interference concerns.

The accused told the court the allegations were "a load of lies", and he claimed his ex-partner had driven him to a breakdown and signing himself into hospital.

He maintained he had footage to show he was at home.

He said that he was a carer for a sick relative and that the woman had recently sent him a card saying "ha, ha, ha" after one of his family members died and had been standing outside his house.

Representing himself in court, the accused had no lawyer due to the ongoing industrial action by solicitors withdrawing from District Court legal aid cases over payment reforms.

He had nine prior bench warrants for failing to appear in court, which he explained were, in some cases, a result of not being informed of his date by his solicitor.

The judge noted that most of them were issued several years ago and there had been just one in the past year.

She stressed that he had the presumption of innocence.

Judge Clancy granted bail with conditions that he must sign on daily at a garda station.

She also ordered him to engage with Men Overcoming Violent Emotions (MOVE), an organisation which works with males in the area of domestic abuse.

The judge explained that the condition was part of the bond, in light of the garda evidence that the man had been aggressive.

He will appear again in September.

If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this article, you can contact Women’s Aid (24-hour freephone helpline at 1800-341 900, email helpline@womensaid.ie) or Men’s Aid Ireland (confidential helpline at 01-554 3811, email hello@mensaid.ie) for support and information.

Safe Ireland also offers a number of local services and helplines at safeireland.ie/get-help/where-to-find-help/. In the case of an emergency, always dial 999/112.