Man given nine months in prison for twice breaching order

A MAN who was outside a woman’s home late at night, then confronted her in the morning, was sentenced to nine months in prison at Bray District Court last Thursday.

Farid Boudakhan (37), with addresses in Carlow and Enniskerry, was charged with two counts of breach of a safety order.

He was also facing charges of having two false driving licences and ownership of a vehicle driven by someone not insured to do so, which relate to a separate incident.

The court heard that Boudakhan was the subject of a safety order involving a woman living in Farrankelly Close.

‘I had to get a safety order because of his threats,’ the woman told the court last week. She obtained the order on May 4, 2016.

On May 30, 2016, she was woken by the dog barking and said that Farid was under her bedroom window.

‘He was loitering,’ she said, adding that there are no shops or anything other than houses in the area. ‘I felt uncomfortable and in fear. I rang the gardaí.

‘ The following morning I had dropped the kids to school and came home. Farid came running across the road. I was sitting in the car. I was so afraid, I couldn’t get they keys out of the ignition. He was shouting and roaring. He was manic. I got out of the car and into the house and rang the gardaí,’ she said.

Barriser Eamonn O’Mooore said that his client, who is from Morocco and has lived in Ireland for 12 years, was there because arrangements had been made for Farid’s brother from Belgium to visit his two nephews at the house.

‘I have no contact with Farid or with his brother in Belgium,’ said the woman. ‘No arrangements were made.’

Garda Brian Burns said that he received a call from the woman that morning in a distressed state. She told him about the two incidents. Gardaí had been dispatched after 1 a.m., but by that time the man was gone.

‘She told me he drove his car in front of hers at 8.50 a.m., that Farid spoke to her and said he was looking for his brother. She told him to go away and he did,’ said Garda Burns.

‘In your statement there is no indication that she was distressed,’ said Mr O’Moore.

Garda Burns said that it was a precis of evidence, outlining in brief. ‘I remember very well that she was. You wouldn’t usually have a distressed lady on the phone on Monday morning at 9 a.m.,’ said Garda Burns.

Boudakhan told the court that he was looking for his brother. He said that the brother was on holidays in Ireland and the only houses he knew were the one in which Boudakhan lived with his partner nearby in Charlesland and the home of this woman. He said that his brother had bought gifts for the children and wanted to hand them over before he left.

‘I was just looking to see was he there or not. He wasn’t there,’ said Boudakhan. He said that his brother didn’t come home that night.

He said that the woman had come to his house the previous day to talk to them. ‘I didn’t know about the safety order,’ he added.

Judge David Kennedy said that he took the breach of the safety order very seriously, and would convict him of both offences, sen-

tencing him to nine months for each to run concurrently.

Separately, Garda James Reynolds told the court that he was at The Mews, Ballinagee, Enniskerry, on February 13, 2016, and was speaking to Farid Boudakhan when a white transit van drove into the laneway, then drove off.

Garda Reynolds got in a patrol car and found the van, moments later, bogged down in a field. The driver was El Hamid Boudakham, Farid’s brother.

Hamid Boudakham handed Garda Reynolds a number of documents which were in the van, including a spanish driving licence and a portugese driving licence, both in the name of Farid Boudakham.

Garda Reynolds said he thought that this was suspicious and he seized the van. He told the court that Farid Boudakham approached him and demanded the driving licences be returned.

The defence did not dispute that the licences were false. Farid Boudakham said that they belonged to his brother. He also said that he had believed his brother had been insured to drive the van.

‘ There was no evidence given that Farid Boudakham would have been aware he wasn’t covered. He was under the impression his brother was covered,’ said Mr O’Moore.

In the matter of the false driving licences, Judge David Kennedy said it was not clear whether the defendant had been put on his election, or if the DPP had directed summary disposal. He said that he may have no option but to strike those matters out.

The case was adjourned to June 12 for mention.