This article is from page 16 of the 2008-05-20 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 16 JPG
FIVE people have appeared in court, charged in connection with incidents involving three Traveller families in Ennis last week.
They were charged arising out of alleged offences on three days last week and all five were remanded in custody, after gardai objected to ey nUe
Michael Maughan (23), of Stone Court, Ennis, is charged with dam- aging a woman’s car at Dun na hIn- ise, Ennis, last Wednesday, May 14.
Patrick Molloy (18), of Gordon Drive, Cloughleigh, Ennis, is facing five charges. He is accused of dam- aging five cars last week – one at Dun
na hInise and four at Shalee Drive, J SyayAbEse
Christopher Mongans (22) and Thomas Mongans (20) of Shalee Drive, Ennis, and Michael Mongans (27), of Bridge View, Roslevan, are accused of having a machete with a sharply pointed blade, at Sandfield Road, Ennis, last Thursday.
The court was told that in reply to charge after caution, Mr Maughan replied, “I’m an innocent man.”
Inspector John Galvin told the court that there were a number of de- fendants “all related to the same set of circumstances. [ll be opposing bail in relation to all of them.”
He said he was opposing bail on the erounds that “gardai are very fearful
of the outcome of this feud. We have people working all week on this.”
‘We fear people themselves or in- nocent parties will get seriously in- jured,” said Inspector Galvin.
Mr Maughan’s solicitor William Cahir said his client would abide by strict bail conditions, if granted bail. He said the case will be fully con- tested.
Bail was refused after a woman claimed in court that Mr Maughan got out of a car at Dun na hInse last Wednesday with a “bell hook and a plank of wood in his hand” and went over to her car. Mr Cahir told the court that was “a fabrication’, his cli- ent “wasn’t anywhere near the area’.
Mr Cahir, who also represented
Patrick Molloy, said all of the charg- es would be fully contested. “It will be a particularly strong defence,” he Sr nLG
Solicitor Ted McCarthy, who rep- resented the Mongans, said he was applying for bail for all three.
Garda Jason Lardner then told the court that an incident occurred on the Sandfield Road area of Ennis the previous day.
‘A number of people got out of a car and went to attack another per- son,” he said. He said the people got back into the car, which the gardai searched. We found pieces of wood in the car,’ said the garda. He said that Christopher, Thomas and Michael Mongans were in the car.
Inspector Galvin said that inves- tigations were ongoing and further charges were likely.
‘Public safety is the reason we are objecting to bail,” he said.
Mr McCarthy said the charges will be contested and said his clients would undertake to abide by any conditions the court would have in mind.
However, Judge Mangan refused bail. “I have had an opportunity to- day to get a feel for the atmosphere surrounding these matters. What I’ve observed is a cause for concern,” he said. He said he was refusing bail, based on the gravity of the charges, the strength of the evidence and the concerns expressed by the State.