An alleged trespasser who breached three of his bail conditions has been remanded in custody after telling a judge to “speak up” before shouting that the proceedings were a “kangaroo court” as he was led away.
John Matthews (46) of Rathsallagh Park, Shankill, Co Dublin appeared before Judge Conor Fottrell at Dún Laoghaire District Court.
Garda Lucy-May Timoney told the court that Matthews was in breach of three conditions attached to his bail, including a requirement to sign on at a garda station and a condition requiring him to provide gardaí with his phone number.
She said gardaí had been unable to contact Matthews but eventually located and arrested him after leaving a message with his girlfriend asking him to attend the garda station.
Matthews told the court that the bail bond and its conditions should have been read to him before he signed it, because he could not read.
However, Garda Timoney said Matthews never told gardaí at the time that he was unable to read. She said he signed the bail bond and did not ask for its contents or conditions to be read aloud to him.
Judge Fottrell found that Matthews had breached his release conditions and refused to remand him on continuing bail.
As the judge delivered his decision, Matthews told the judge to “speak up”.
He was then taken into custody by gardaí.
As he was being led from the courtroom, Matthews shouted: “It’s a kangaroo court where they keep people in the back of the van in Dún Laoghaire. It’s fucking ridiculous, you c***.”
Matthews had previously been granted bail on January 29 last in relation to a charge arising from an incident at Church Road, Ballybrack, on January 3.
He is accused of entering the curtilage of a property as a trespasser in circumstances giving rise to a reasonable inference that he intended to commit an offence or unlawfully interfere with property there.
Matthews was represented by Berna Kennedy BL. He was remanded in custody to appear before the court again on September 24.