Four appear in court charged in connection with violent disorder
FOUR people have appeared in court charged in connection with a public order incident in which gardaí were met with ‘relentless, prolonged and extremely dangerous’ violence. Gardaí were called to a site earmarked for asylum seekers at Trudder House outside Newtownmountkennedy in Co. Wicklow on Thursday night.
Six arrests were made during what the Garda described as ‘serious public disorder’.
Four people from Newtownmountkennedy appeared at Bray District Court yesterday in connection with the incident.
Shane Synnott, 19, of Season Park, Michael Synnott, 56, of the same address, Ben McNulty, 41, of Rossmore Avenue, and Sharon McCann, 39, of Mountainview Drive, were charged with the same offence which involved failing to abide by Garda instructions.
The charge relates to loitering in a public place without a reasonable excuse, leading to concern for the safety of people, property or public place – and failing to comply with a Garda instruction to leave.
Michael Synnott appeared in court wearing a hi-vis yellow T-shirt and workers’ pants while Shane Synott was wearing a black Nike T-shirt and cream sweatpants.
McNulty was wearing a navy T-shirt and workers’ pants while McCann appeared in blue jeans and a cream fleece.
Inspector Niall Kennedy told Judge Nicola Andrews none of the four made any reply to the charges under caution.
He told the court: ‘Last night a large scale public order incident unfolded at River Lodge House, Trudder, in Newtownmountkennedy and its environs.
‘Prior to this members of An Garda Síochána were required to be present there due to protests that were persistently quite vocal.
‘At approximately 7pm the situation began to change and the protesters became actively involved in criminal activity.’
Inspector Kennedy said the protest subsequently turned into a ‘mob’, with individuals setting fires and causing criminal damage to property and injury to members of An Garda Síochána.
He said: ‘The level of violence met by the gardaí here was relentless, prolonged and extremely dangerous.’
Garda vehicles were damaged, wind screens smashed, tires slashes.
‘The individuals before the court are present on alleged abuses of the criminal justice public order act under section 8 and were arrested during the course of a policing operation under way to prevent damage to property and injury to the person.’
Inspector Kennedy said that further charges may arise out of this incident, adding that there was no objection to bail.
The four accused were ordered to abide by a curfew at their home addresses between 8pm and 8am, not to engage in protest activity in Newtownmountkennedy and to stay away from River Lodge, Trudder House and the surrounding area.
They were remanded on bail of their own bond of €1,000 to appear again on May 9.
‘Level of violence was relentless’