Latest news with #PatriciaMcNamara
Irish Independent
26-07-2025
- Irish Independent
Man allegedly put tracker in child's car seat to ‘monitor' his ex-partner in ‘insidious' safety order breach
The man, who is aged in his 30s and from Dublin, appeared before Judge Patricia McNamara at Tallaght District Court. Garda Gavin Cribbin objected to bail under the O'Callaghan principles, citing eight alleged breaches of a safety order during June and July 2025. The court heard the most serious breach involved a small tracking device allegedly hidden in the seat where the couple's child usually sits. The device was discovered on June 29, after the injured party's relative - a passenger in her car - received an alert on their phone warning that a tracker was nearby. The complainant used two separate apps to confirm the presence of the device and eventually located it tucked into the child's car seat. The court heard the accused had allegedly borrowed the seat to facilitate a custody exchange - and it was alleged he later admitted to a relative that he had planted the tracker. Detective Sergeant Ruth Finnegan told the court it was "an AirTag-type of device". Judge McNamara described the tracker incident as 'particularly insidious' and said it formed part of a worrying pattern of behaviour that posed a real risk of interference with the complainant. The accused is facing eight alleged breaches of the safety order, four of which relate to email contact. The court heard the man was only permitted to contact the injured party regarding child access but allegedly sent around 50 emails a day over three consecutive days - some of which were described as abusive and made no reference to child access. One message allegedly contained repeated verbal abuse, and the complainant eventually blocked his email address. The injured party gave evidence in court, saying she had been in a relationship with the man for almost a decade and that they share children. ADVERTISEMENT She was granted a two-year safety order in April 2025, after applying earlier in the year. 'He won't stop contacting me or intimidating me,' she said. 'I feel like he's going to snap one day.' The woman described how daily life had become fearful and tense, saying she felt sick when she realised she was being tracked. 'I don't know what it will take for him to leave me alone,' she told the court. She also described a custody handover on July 12, where the man allegedly shouted abuse in front of the children, followed her on foot, and initially refused to hand the children over. Garda Cribbin said that while no explicit threat had been made, the tracking incident was of particular concern and reflected what he called an 'evolution of behaviour' that was becoming more serious and invasive. Defence solicitor John O'Leary said his client maintains the presumption of innocence and pointed out there was no history of violence. Refusing bail, Judge McNamara said she was satisfied there was a real risk of interference with the injured party and refused bail under the O'Callaghan principles. She said: 'There is a presumption of innocence, but I am satisfied from what I've heard that there is a possibility of interference with the applicant in the safety order.' She described the tracker allegation as 'particularly insidious,' adding: 'It's not even the emails, even though they're quite abusive - it's the allegation that he borrowed a car seat and put a tracker in there to monitor her movements.' Judge McNamara noted that the injured party had expressed fear and that the behaviour appeared to be escalating. The man was remanded in custody to appear via video link at Cloverhill District Court at a later date. Funded by the Courts Reporting Scheme.
Irish Independent
21-06-2025
- Irish Independent
Armed gardaí had to break in and remove man from his mother's home, court hears
After hearing garda objections to the accused man being granted bail, Judge Patricia McNamara refused his application under the O'Callaghan rules, citing serious concerns that the accused may interfere with the injured party if released. The man is charged with breaching a barring order contrary to Section 33(1) of the Domestic Violence Act 2018. The order has been in place since August 2024 and was granted to protect his mother, a woman in her 60s, who lives at the address in Dublin. Detective Sergeant Ruth Finnegan told Tallaght District Court that gardaí responded to a call from the woman shortly after midnight on Sunday, June 15. She reported that her son was at the house, despite the court order prohibiting him from being there. When gardaí arrived, they found the man at the front door, but he refused to engage with them. He then barricaded himself inside the house, prompting the officers to call for armed support. The court heard that the back door was then forced open to gain entry. The court heard the accused man's mother was at a relative's home at the time. The judge instructed gardaí to request that the woman come to court to give evidence. Later that day, Garda Fintan Carew told the court he had called to her home, where she told him that she was afraid to attend court and was with a locksmith trying to secure the property following the incident. Garda Carew read out a signed statement in court in which the woman said she feared her son, that he was aggressive when drinking or using drugs, and that she no longer felt safe around him. She also claimed he had threatened to kill her and her family during a phone call that night. The court heard that she had previously allowed him to return home when he was unwell - including when suffering from chest infections - but gardaí said that on this occasion, he had not been invited in and she was now in fear. During the bail hearing, the man's solicitor, Padraig O'Donovan, said his client denied threatening his mother but had been threatening to kill himself. Mr O'Donovan argued the man believed he had not breached the order, as he believed he had been staying at the home with his mother's consent. The accused gave evidence, telling the court that he had not realised he was in breach of the barring order, and that he had returned to the house for food and shelter, claiming he had 'gone to a soup run in town' for food. ADVERTISEMENT Learn more Judge McNamara noted the O'Callaghan principles, which allow the court to refuse bail where there is a real risk that the accused would interfere with witnesses or obstruct the course of justice. 'I'm satisfied to accept the garda's evidence that the injured party is in fear,' she said, accepting the reasons given for the woman's absence from court. 'Given the circumstances and the allegations that gardaí had to break into the home, I am refusing bail under O'Callaghan Rules.' The man was remanded in custody to appear via video link before Cloverhill District Court on Friday, June 20, at 10am. A disclosure order was also made by the court. Funded by the Courts Reporting Scheme.
