Cannabis accused insisted he was signing bond under duress
A 33- year- old man before the District Court on a cannabis possession charge insisted he was signing a bail bond under duress.
Christopher Cussen from Ballymacoonogue, The Ballagh appeared after a bench warrant issued for his arrest was executed.
Garda Darin Sane offered no objection to the granting of bail by the court in the case which centred on an allegation that Cussen had € 30 of cannabis in his possession on November 19 last year.
The accused asked the judge to call him Chris and told the court he was eager to get back home to his heavily pregnant wife.
He added that the wife was due to give birth ‘ right now’.
Chris indicated that he would not sign anything, saying that he was an innocent man.
The judge then moved to remand the defendant in custody for a week, with the option to sign a bail bond and walk free.
‘ It is up to you if you sign or not,’ was the message from the man on the bench.
The bond eventually was signed after the defendant told the court that he was not a criminal.
He said he was not dealing with Enniscorthy gardaí as he had referred them for investigation by GSOC, adding that they had broken his wrist.
‘ I am signing under duress. This is how I get back to my wife.’