A MAN who is alleged to have tried to ram a Garda patrol jeep was put out of a Limerick court after calling a Detective Garda a “f****** liar”.
Thomas Kiely (31), with addresses at Barnakyle, Patrickswell, and 21 Sycamore Heights, Patrickswell, according to official court documents, is facing charges of endangerment and dangerous driving. He was seeking bail in the District Court before Judge Patricia Harney.
Giving evidence of why Gardaí were objecting to the accused man getting bail, Detective Garda Dean Landers told the judge the objections were based on a number of factors, including the seriousness of the charges and the nature of the evidence.
The detective told the court that it is alleged that Mr Kiely was the driver of a car which was observed twice in August of last year travelling at 190km on the N20 near Croom.
He said it is also alleged that Mr Kiely was behind the wheel when the same car evaded Gardaí after they had put on the blue lights in the patrol jeep in an attempt to get the car to stop, which it failed to do.
The car they were pursuing “was driving at times on the wrong side of the road, drove in the hard shoulder and turned off all lights, making it extremely dangerous,” Detective Garda Landers told the court.
Gardaí gave chase and the other car came to a stop in a sports field.
“The vehicle accelerated at speed, coming at the patrol jeep. I took evasive action,” he told the court. “Due to the speed it was accelerating at, it would have caused serious injury or even death.”
The witness agreed with Mr Kiely’s solicitor that, since being arrested, his client had made “no admissions” to any of the charges and is before the court presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
As the detective was outlining how Gardaí found, seized, and examined the car for evidence, Mr Kiely shouted from the dock: “Did you find any fingerprints, you f****** liar?”
Judge Harney told Kiely she would “not tolerate profanity and this kind of abusive, combative behaviour”, and ordered him to be removed from the court.
She allowed him to return later and asked if he wanted to give any evidence as to why he should be granted bail, to which Mr Kiely replied “no”.
Judge Harney refused bail and remanded Mr Kiely in custody until August 27.
Funded by the Court Reporting Scheme.
