Three await trial decision over Coolock riots at Crown Paints factory
Three men charged with offences connected to riots at a proposed centre for asylum seekers in Coolock, Dublin, last year still await directions from the Director of Public Prosecutions.
Ross O'Neill (34), of Buttercup Park, Darndale; Patrick Maughan (21), from Chanel Grove, Coolock; and Keith Daly (57), from Moatview Drive, Priorswood, were each granted €200 bail on February 24th at Dublin District Court.
Advertisement
On Monday, their cases were further adjourned until September 22nd to establish whether the case would remain in the District Court or be sent to the Circuit Court, which has wider sentencing powers.
They have been charged with various offences connected to events on July 15th at or near the former Crown Paints factory on Malahide Road.
There were violent scenes in the area after the Government announced intentions to repurpose the building to house international protection applicants. Last week, it emerged that the plan had been abandoned.
The three men remain on bail and had been told earlier to remain away from International Protection Accommodation Service (IPAS) centres, remain contactable by phone, and stay off social media.
Advertisement
Mr Daly was given an extra bail term, banning him from attending all protests.
He has been charged with burglary of the factory, theft of mattresses, and criminal damage offences.
At their previous hearing, Garda Jordan Martin alleged that Mr Daly entered the site without permission and threatened a security guard with "Touch me, and I'll break your fucking jaw, I'm telling you".
It was also claimed he told the security man, "Open the gate, or I'll grab something and stick it through you". Garda Martin claimed the accused was captured on CCTV and bodycam in "an agitated state".
Advertisement
He allegedly removed four mattresses from the site, brought them to an area beside a fire, and took other units out of a truck before kicking and damaging them. The contested bail hearing was told that Mr Daly was identified by CCTV, bodycams and footage shown on an RTÉ Investigates broadcast, and he had distinct facial features.
The officer claimed the accused "instigated riots" involving 500 people and assaults on gardaí that lasted into the night.
When questioned, the garda confirmed the man had not come to further garda attention, and these were the only charges he had before the courts. "I have never been to a protest before," Mr Daly had told the court.
Ireland
Beautician (35) jailed for helping her killer ex-b...
Read More
Mr O'Neill, who is on a community employment scheme, was accused of rioting, production of a long piece of wood as a weapon and violent disorder at Malahide Road.
Advertisement
Patrick Maughan was charged with violent disorder and criminal damage at the Odeon cinema car park near the factory.
Garda Paul Reddy said there was a "major public order incident" at the old paint factory, including seven assaults. He added that CCTV showed Mr Maughan at 2.34pm, "throwing blocks at uniformed gardaí and members of the public order unit".
The three men, who have yet to indicate how they will plead, were granted free legal aid at their first hearing in February.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
BBC News
25 minutes ago
- BBC News
Police sent to wrong hotel during Bristol summer disorder, study finds
Police officers called to respond to far-right protesters who had targeted a hotel housing asylum seekers, were mistakenly sent to the wrong location, according to a new unrest on 3 August 2024 the group, and a counter-protest group, gathered to demonstrate in Castle Park, Bristol, before moving to the Mercure Hotel in to the Government-commissioned report, Avon and Somerset Police officers were given "incorrect information" and sent to a Holiday Inn instead of the Mercure, leaving it "unguarded" as anti-immigration protesters Chf Con Jon Reilly said: "Officers were deployed outside the Mercure Hotel throughout the evening before they were briefly used to support colleagues nearby where the risk was deemed greater." The report, called 'Understanding the 2024 Summer Riots in the UK' was led by academics from the University of Sussex and examined disorder in Bristol, Hanley and authors gathered information from news outlets, social media posts and widespread unrest across the country came in the days after the fatal stabbing of three children in Southport, when misinformation was circulated online that the attacker was a Muslim asylum about a Bristol protest appeared in the days before it and described a march towards Redcliff Hill, where the Mercure Hotel is. At the time, the hotel was providing accommodation for more than 300 asylum seekers, of which more than half were children, according to the report. The report said there had been clashes in other parts of the city including Castle Park and Bristol Bridge before anti-immigration protesters made their way to the there had been a police presence at the hotel earlier, a police support unit was sent to Castle Park before being redeployed to protect asylum seekers and hotel staff but were "given incorrect information and sent to a Holiday Inn hotel instead", the report seekers in the hotel "looked on from windows" as about 60 anti-immigration protesters gathered outside the building at 19:55 hotel was put into lockdown as counter-protesters stood outside the hotel and linked arms to protect its entrance.A small number of police officers were in attendance as more protesters arrived but were "heavily outnumbered""They... sent a message to their Bronze commander requesting immediate assistance as groups of anti-immigrant participants began to physically assault them to get at the counter-protesters and the hotel entrance," the report added: "For around 10 minutes, the main body of the counter-protesters came under concerted attack including missiles being thrown, kicks and punches, and racist and homophobic abuse."The additional police units joined the four officers at the scene half-an-hour after the first protesters had gathered outside the hotel.A police eyewitness said that it had been in the "top five most violent incidents" that they had witnessed in their 25-year conclusion, the report deemed the unrest to be "riots rather than protests" and called it the "biggest outbreak of disorder in the UK since 2011". 'Immense courage' Dep Chf Con Reilly called the events "an incredibly complex and dynamic policing operation" and that since that day 44 people had been sentenced for their involvement in the disorder."Hundreds of police officers, many of whom came in to work on a day off, put themselves in harm's way throughout the course of Saturday 3 August to protect the public," he said."Each and every one of them deserves enormous credit for their actions that day, which were carried out in the face of disgraceful violence and abuse."He said that officers who had been at the hotel and were then deployed to help colleagues who needed support nearby, returned "within minutes". "Despite being faced with disgusting physical and verbal abuse, they showed immense courage in protecting the public," he added.
The Independent
2 hours ago
- The Independent
Rail firms taking ‘disproportionate action' against passengers over ticket rules
Train operators are taking 'disproportionate action' against passengers who do not hold a valid ticket, according to an inquiry which criticised Britain's 'complex' fares system. The regulator, the Office of Rail and Road (ORR), published a report that found travellers face 'inconsistent treatment and outcomes' for similar ticketing issues across the railway. It was commissioned by then-transport secretary Louise Haigh in November last year to review how the industry handles revenue protection and fare evasion, after cases where passengers were being prosecuted over small amounts of money were highlighted in the media. The ORR noted one case where a passenger was threatened with prosecution for accidentally selecting a 16-25 railcard discount when they held a 26-30 railcard, which provides the same discount. The case was eventually dropped after their MP became involved. The ORR found there are 'a range of circumstances' in which passengers may innocently travel without a valid ticket, such as forgetting their railcard or simply making a mistake. But the regulator warned the same reasons can be used by passengers who 'deliberately choose' to underpay or avoid their fare, and it can to difficult for rail staff to determine their intent and decide how to handle the situation. The report stated: 'Making this more challenging is the railway's complex fares and ticketing framework. 'This has grown more complicated over time.' The inquiry found that rail staff described how 'fare evasion is becoming normalised among certain passenger groups', and it is becoming 'increasingly more challenging to tackle'. The ORR noted that under railway byelaws, it is an offence not to be able to present a valid ticket for a journey, regardless of the passenger's intent, which means 'disproportionate action can end up being taken against some passengers'. The inquiry made a series of recommendations to Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander and the Department for Transport, such as ensuring passengers have 'clearer information' about tickets, and creating consistency in how passengers are treated when ticket issues arise, particularly in relation to prosecutions. ORR director of strategy, policy and reform Stephanie Tobyn said: 'Effective revenue protection is essential for a sustainable railway, but it must be fair and proportionate for passengers. 'Our recommendations aim to protect both industry revenue and support passenger confidence. 'Our evidence shows a system that has evolved over time where the legal framework and enforcement processes are increasingly complex and appear weighted towards industry, leaving some passengers who make innocent errors vulnerable to disproportionate outcomes. 'But meanwhile, fare evasion remains a significant problem, and rigorous action should be taken against those who intentionally seek to defraud the railway.' Rail minister Lord Hendy said: 'This report shows that decades of failed privatisation have created a mess of deep-rooted issues across our railways, which have been left unchallenged and are now causing chaos and frustration for passengers. 'Through the creation of Great British Railways, we're bringing operators together to establish oversight and better standardise practices, putting an end to inconsistent prosecutions and making sure passengers are treated fairly. 'Deliberate fare-dodging costs the taxpayer up to £400 million annually – money which could be better spent on improving passenger experience – and must be dealt with, but ham-fisted prosecutions that punish people who have made an innocent mistake is not the way to do this. 'We will look at this report in detail and set out what we'll be doing to address the issues raised in due course.' A spokesperson for Rail Delivery Group, which represents operators, said it welcomed the ORR's 'sensible recommendations'. She continued: 'The rail industry will work on implementing the recommendations in line with our plans to create a simpler, better-value fares system. 'We need to strike the right balance addressing genuine, honest mistakes made by customers and taking firm action against those who deliberately and persistently seek to exploit the system.' Last week, shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick posted a widely-viewed video on social media in which he confronted people who forced their way through the ticket barriers at Stratford station in east London.
BBC News
4 hours ago
- BBC News
The World Tonight More killings near US-Israeli backed Gaza aid site
More Palestinians have been killed near an aid distribution site in Gaza. Israel says it will investigate. The Labour Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee says it's time to sanction Israeli government ministers. Also tonight: The government is under pressure to spend even more on defence than planned - just a day after publishing its defence review. We ask one of the report's authors whether its figures are already out of date. As the Dutch government collapses, we examine how rows over immigration are reshaping European politics. And as the Serpentine Pavilion celebrates 25 years, the leading Bangladeshi architect behind this year's creation has been giving me a tour.
