Woman threatened with bullet through her head
FOUR women who were granted bail at the High Court after being first refused in Limerick District Court were back in court again this week to have their case heard summarily on the directions of the DPP. 26-year-old Ciara Kileen of 80 Hyde Road, 32-year-old Linda Kileen of Clonlong Halting Site, 29-year-old Kathleen O’Reilly of Castletroy Halting Site and 20-year-old Ciara Lynch of 420 0’Malley Park, Southill, were before Judge O’Donnell, after the initial instruction of the DPP to furnish all four with a book of evidence and proceed to trial in a violent disorder matter, was changed to have the matter dealt with at the District Court.
The court heard that an incident occurred at Limerick Prison where a dispute arose between males associated with the four women and another party.
Arriving in the Ballinacurra area of the city, the four accused were said to have been armed with a sledge hammer, a car jack, a steering lock and “other implements and began to attack the Suzuki Jeep of the alleged injured party living on the Hyde Road.
The court heard that threats were made to both the woman and her family including a threat saying she would get a “bullet through the head”.
A scuffle broke out and all four were later apprehended by gardai.
Judge O’Donnell said that this was the second time in recent weeks that information was given to the court and that it took from October 17 to the end of January to get the directions of the DPP.
The four were to be sent to the Circuit Court for trial on indictment but that was changed to have the public order matter of violent disorder dealt with at District Court level on a guilty plea only.
Judge O’Donnell said that it was unfair to the accused to have these initial directions presented to the court as this would have a bearing on their bail applications.
The court had heard that the four had spent various amounts of time in custody during their bail applications and appeals to the High Court. He added that it was “most unhelpful” but that on the face of it, it was a very serious matter.
The District Court judge added that it must have been a terrifying and traumatic experience for the injured party to have her home set upon and to have her life threatened.
“They should not have taken the law into their own hands”, he added.
Judge O’Donnell said he did take into account the time they spent in custody.
He sentenced all four to 10 months in prison for the charge of violent disorder and suspended it for a period of 18 months by placing them on their own bond of €100.
All four were ordered not to interfere with the injured party.
