A man accused of falsely imprisoning and strangling a woman has seen his bail revoked after refusing to wait at Pearse Street Garda Station to sign on, telling a judge that the conditions there are so poor they “infringe his human rights”.
Elric Kibangou Diansa (36), last with an address in Dublin 4, had previously been granted bail in relation to charges of false imprisonment and intentionally or recklessly strangling or suffocating a woman at an address on June 20, 2025.
Gardaí at Dún Laoghaire District Court had objected to bail under the O’Callaghan principles, citing the seriousness of the charges, the alleged breach of bail conditions, the absence of a new verified address, limited ties to the jurisdiction and concerns about possible interference with the injured party.
The court heard that as part of his bail conditions, Mr Kibangou Diansa was required to sign on at Pearse Street Garda Station but has not done so. The court heard that the defendant, who is originally from France and has been in Ireland since November 2024, had not provided a new address and is believed to be couch surfing.
Giving evidence through a French interpreter, the accused said he stopped signing on because he was being made to wait between two-and-a-half and three hours each time at Pearse Street Garda Station.
He described the station as overcrowded and dirty, telling the court there was vomit on the floor and drunk people spitting in the waiting area.
Through the interpreter, he said he would not sit in those conditions for hours and claimed it was a breach of his human rights and civil liberties. He accepted that he chose not to comply with the sign-on condition as a result.
Judge Anne Watkin remarked it was the first time she had heard in court that someone was required to wait three hours to sign on.
Prosecuting solicitor Rory Staines told the court that Pearse Street is one of the busiest stations in the country.
The accused told the court that he had attended all court dates. He said he worked in a global tech company and was in the process of launching his own business but had no friends or family in Dublin.
Defence counsel, Silvia-Maria Crowley BL, submitted that her client was entitled to the presumption of innocence. She said he would comply with conditions if granted bail, that an address could be provided within 48 hours and that he could sign on at Irishtown Garda Station.
The accused said he would agree to reside in a hostel if required but said he needed his passport returned in order to secure accommodation.
Judge Watkin said she was concerned about why the defendant was insisting on the return of his passport, given the uncertainty surrounding his address and his previous non-compliance with bail conditions.
The prosecution also raised concerns regarding the injured party, submitting that there were fears of interference if the defendant was released on bail.
Judge Watkin said she had no option but to revoke bail.
Delivering her ruling, the judge said that while the accused was entitled to the presumption of innocence, the allegations were extremely serious and, if proven, would demonstrate “somebody could have been killed”.
She said that having already failed to comply with a bail condition, the court could not be satisfied Mr Kibangou Diansa would obey further conditions, including those aimed at preventing interference with a witness.
Mr Kibangou Diansa was remanded in custody to Cloverhill Prison and sent forward for trial to the Circuit Criminal Court, where he is due to appear on March 19, next at the Criminal Courts of Justice.
Legal aid was granted and a French interpreter was requested for future hearings.