EX-MINISTER’S RAMPAGE IN DOC’S SURGERY
Disgraced Callely, 60, avoids prison over harassment of Gp
CONMAN ex-minister Ivor Callely was caught red-handed trashing a GP’S waiting room in a bizarre campaign of harassment.
The former Fianna Fail TD, 60, received a suspended sentence for ransacking Dr James Dolan’s practice at least seven times.
A judge said: “This behaviour is almost something you would see in a comedy sketch.”
DISGRACED former minister Ivor Callely avoided jail yesterday after a court heard he trashed a GP’S waiting room as part of a harassment campaign.
He was given an eight-month suspended sentence after admitting he “flipped” and repeatedly ransacked the office at least seven times.
The 60-year-old former TD and senator was caught red-handed after Dr James Dolan installed a hidden camera in his practice in Howth Road, North Dublin.
It secretly filmed him breaking a saddle board, pouring rubbish, scattering dirt over the floor and on reading material in the waiting room, and smearing the wall with tea bags and dust.
Judge Kevin Staunton said while his actions seemed like a comedy sketch it was designed to cause as much grief as possible to the doctor.
The ex-fianna Fail Minster of State, who was jailed for five months in 2014 over an expenses scandal, faced harassment and criminal damage charges.
Dublin District Court heard Dr Dolan, who had sublet his practice from Callely, was left filled with dread.
There was a dispute between the pair which has led to litigation in the civil courts over electricity costs, Judge Staunton was told.
Callely, of St Lawrence, Clontarf, pleaded guilty to one harassment charge and seven counts of criminal damage on seven dates in May and June last year. He did not give evidence. Garda Declan O’carolan said Dr Dolan installed a hidden CCTV system which captured a number of incidents in the waiting room of his practice.
On May 3, Callely damaged carpet and a saddle board and threshold to the waiting room and threw items of litter around.
Six days later, he emptied waste on the floor and returned with a brush to spread it around.
On May 11, he again threw waste items on the waiting room floor and returned with more waste and came back a third time when he threw more rubbish in the room.
Callely returned five days later and stood by the door of the surgery while the doctor was having a private consultation with a patient.
He then threw pieces of paper around the waiting room and tore up magazines left there by the doctor as reading material for his patients.
During this incident he also positioned his head and face against the door of the surgery at the handle level while the doctor was inside with a patient.
The court was told the following day when he came back “he removed something from his mouth and put it on the floor and emptied waste items on the floor”. Callely also smeared dust on the wall.
He left but re-entered and tore magazines provided by the doctor for his patients.
On May 26 he smeared tea bags on the wall and later came back drinking a cup of tea. The court heard that on June 7 Callely again damaged the saddle board and threshold at the waiting room and poured dust from a vacuum cleaner into the pages of the magazines which he then poured waste over.
He came back again that day with a brush to sweep dirt on to the walls.
In 2014 Callely was jailed by the Circuit Court for using false invoices to claim €4,207 in expenses.
Defence solicitor Noel O’hanrahan apologised for his client and handed over €500 compensation in court.
In his victim impact statement Dr Dolan said he had been in the building for 30 years but because of Callely he went to work “with a sense of dread”. Judge Staunton described Callely’s behaviour as “very bizarre” and said he had “listened to the evidence with some incredulity”.
He noted the accused was a former political figure and now financially broke, facing litigation on various fronts and was under immense IVOR Callely was spared jail yesterday – but he has previously spent five months behind bars for expenses fraud.
He was locked up in 2014 for using false invoices to claim €4,207.45 worth of mobile phone expenses.
Prisoners at Dublin’s Mountjoy jail are believed to have hurled abuse at the ex-minister after he was locked up for cheating taxpayers.
The former Fianna Fail representative, from St Lawrence, Clontarf, served as minister of state in the health and transport departments between 2002 and 2005.
He was later appointed to the Seanad where he remained until 2011. pressure. Judge Staunton added: “Unfortunately he did not flip once, there seems to be an element of sustained harassment here which the court cannot ignore.
“This behaviour is almost something you would see in a comedy sketch”.