A 43-year-old man who was the subject of a court barring order turned up at a Navan sports ground and was “shouting and cursing” in front of young children playing football there, a court has been told. The man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was before the court for an alleged breach of that order. Garda Jason Conroy gave evidence that he was the court Garda on duty at Trim District Court on a certain date in March 2023 when Judge Miriam Walsh granted a barring order to a woman who had come before the court. On the instructions of Judge Walsh he had sent an email to the defendant.
Garda Walsh gave evidence that in August 2024 he had received a complaint from a woman who said that the man was in breach of an order granted to her. She was at the MDL soccer grounds on the Trim Road. A Garda who screened video footage in court said that it showed the defendant driving while a person was on the ground and there were playing pitches on either side of the road. The Garda said she had later gone to defendant’s address but he wasn’t there. She had met him n a date in September that year and questioned him about the breach of the court order. She charged him and when she cautioned him he made no reply. She also questioned him about his manner of driving which was considered “dangerous” because there were children present. She demanded production of his driving licence and insurance and these were produced. In reply to defending solicitor Maurice Regan the Garda agreed that there were no children visible in the video shown in court.
A woman who said she had been in a relationship with defendant said that in August 2024 her six- year-old son was playing in a match at MDL grounds and she was watching with other parents. The defendant had arrived 10-15 minute later. “He started intimidating me, pacing up and down and making comments. He stood directly behind me and his behaviour became intimidating and was shouting. Somebody asked him to stop shouting. There was a lot of cursing and swearing. He just lost it and he was shouting and cursing in an intimidating language in front of children”, she said.
The woman said that a man present with his pregnant wife asked him to stop “and at that point he was out of control. She said she believed he was “ready to box and fight” in front of children. The whole episode was “very traumatic” she said. She said that he then “sped off” in his car.
Another parent told the court that the man was walking up and down past the “cages” where the children were playing and “making remarks in an intimidating way”. He said he was constantly shouting at a child and contradicting a coach. He said the team playing were under-8s and the man was making comments to a woman to her face “in a very intimidating manner”.
“He met me eye to eye. I told him it was not appropriate for children to witness his behaviour and he made comments to my wife. He said to me ‘you’re a dead man’.” He said he had taken his phone out and phoned the Gardai and told them about the situation. He had then followed defendant’s car at a distance. He said he believed defendant was driving in a dangerous and reckless manner.
Mr Regan said that his client was not present in court because he was working in Cork. Judge Eirinn McKiernan convicted defendant of the breach of the court order. She was told he had two previous convictions for breaches of domestic orders. She issued a warrant for his arrest.
