Last week the Irish courts saw a variety of cases ranging from road traffic offences to six-figure alleged romance scams, to a man with 22 previous convictions who set his own apartment on fire.
We’re a little late this week, but here is a peek inside some of Ireland’s courtroom happenings.
In what turned out to be an unusual kind of court appearance over the weekend, a Dublin man appeared fully naked in front of a judge at Dublin District Court.
51-year-old Joseph Davis appeared totally nude before Judge Marie Quirke after being arrested during a road check after allegedly failing to keep the vehicle he was travelling in stationary during the check and not providing information requested by Gardaí.
Davis says his “emotional support” cat Oliver went missing during the incident and demanded to be reunited with him during his court appearance.
The Mirror reported that Davis entered the courtroom after refusing to wear his clothes with his hands covering his private area but addressed the judge “seconds later” with his hands aloft.
The hearing lasted in the region of nine minutes with Davis remaining on his feet for its duration.
Davis was offered the assistance of a legal representative who he told to “fuck off” before refusing to sit down at the judge’s request.
Gardaí said that Davis, who has an address at Ashington Mews, Dublin 7, was offered bail after being arrested on Friday but refused to sign his bond or pay the €100 attached to it.
When judge Quirke remarked that she did not see the accused’s wallet on him, Davis retorted, “You don’t see f**king anything.”
Davis demanded to be reunited with his missing cat saying he had previously been allowed to bring the animal to court on condition the feline was kept on a leash.
He said that he was “lost” without the cat and later banged on the glass barrier in front of the dock calling out, “Where is my emotional support animal?”
Davis claimed that he had been “bashed” by Gardaí and that a doctor who visited him while in custody couldn’t speak “f**king English”.
Judge Quirke assured Davis that the matter of his missing cat will be looked into and directed that he appear before the courts again this Tuesday.
Ayo Egbon is facing charges under the Criminal Justice (Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing) Act 2010 in relation to funds in excess of €255k which are suspected to be the proceeds of ‘romance scamming’.
The Sunday World reported that 37-year-old Egbon who has an address at Broomhill House, Swords Road, Dublin has yet to enter a plea in the case which came before Dublin District Court last week.
He is accused of acquiring, possessing, using, or converting €255,472 in a Permanent TSB account in his own name, while knowing being or reckless to the monies being proceeds of crime.
This offences are alleged to have taken place between February 2017 and February 2020.
The alleged injured party in the case is understood to be residing in Finland.
Egbon was granted bail after his initial court appearance in February being instructed to hand in his passport, reside at his registered address, and to not engage with dating websites.
The case was further adjourned last week where considerations are underway as to whether it should be sent to the Circuit Criminal Court.
A Polish couple and their children were forced to leave their home after a noisy neighbor threatened to “cut” them “asunder” with a consaw, a sitting of Limerick Circuit Criminal Court has heard.
The dispute between the neighbours started during covid where the Polish family say their neighbours played loud music into the night.
As relations between the family and their neighbours deteriorated, threats were made that the couple’s vehicles, an Audi and a Mercedes Benz, would be damaged.
The Limerick Leader reported that the Polish couple were told by their neighbours that they were “foreigners” with a man referred to before the courts as a man referred to as Mr. X threatened them with a consaw while his then partner, Sarah Purtill, threatened to damage their cars with a broken bottle.
Purthill, aged 35, of Cluain Ard, Fedamore pleaded guilty to threatening to cause criminal damage.
Video captured via CCTV and audio recorded on a mobile phone played to the court revealed that Mr. X had brandished the consaw saying, “I’ll cut you. You work for us, you’re in our country. Come out you f*****g p***k and I’ll cut you asunder. I’ll stab you in front of the cops. I’ll cut the s**t out of his car.”
In a victim impact statement read to the court by their barrister, the couple said that they had moved away after the incident and that their children had moved schools.
They described the children as suffering with PTSD-like symptoms.
Polish national Michael Bujak was given a 12-month prison sentence after he caused €65,000 worth of damage to an apartment he was renting in Wicklow town.
The Wicklow People reported that Bujak pleaded guilty to setting fire to the apartment at The Anchorage in Wicklow Town on April 4, 2020.
Gardaí were made aware of the blaze at 6:05pm on that day and became suspicious as to its cause after a melted petrol can was found in the hallway of the apartment.
Prosecuting Garda Damien Fenlon said that Bujak had returned to the apartment after 9pm on the night in an intoxicated state and had a smell of petrol on his clothes.
The court heard that Bujak had been arrested earlier on that day for a public order offence where he had been in possession of a knife
He has 22 previous convictions and was suffering from a substance induced mental illness at the time of the incident, the court heard.
Defending barrister Damien Sheridan told Wicklow Circuit Court that his client had been suffering from hallucinations and alcohol addiction.
Judge Patrick Quinn sentenced Bujak to four years in prison but suspended the final three years of the sentence.