DUBAI BOOB 2 CHARGED
Surgery trip mums held in custody after claiming they did not know rules
TWO mums charged with failing to quarantine after a trip to Dubai for a “boob job” were remanded in custody.
Kirstie Mcgrath, 30, and 25-year-old Niamh Mulreany, both with addresses in Dublin’s south inner city, claimed they did not know about the law change.
Setting bail at €2,800 each, in Tallaght District Court, Judge Miriam Walsh queried whether it was “essential travel”.
Both deny breaching the Health Act.
TWO mums arrested at Dublin Airport for allegedly refusing to go to a quarantine hotel after a “boob job” trip to Dubai have been held in custody on strict bail.
Mother-of-two Kirstie Mcgrath, 30, and Niamh Mulreany, 25, a mother-ofone, were held on Friday afternoon.
Last night, they remained in Garda custody as they had limited financial means to meet bail conditions – which include a personal bond of €800 each and independent surety of €2,000 each.
Defence Forces personnel called officers who brought them from Terminal 2 to Ballymun station on Friday and charged them with breaching Section 38 of the Health Act.
Kirstie, with an address at St Anthony’s Road, Central Dublin, and Niamh, from Scarlett Row, Essex Street West, deny the charges.
CONTESTED
Two lengthy contested bail hearings took place as the women appeared separately before Judge Miriam Walsh at Tallaght Disctrict Court yesterday.
Judge Walsh noted the friends had gone away for breast enhancement surgery and she questioned if that was essential travel.
She later described their medical procedures as “colloquially referred to as a boob job” as the reasons for their trip emerged.
The court heard gardai spent almost two hours trying explain the regulations to the women who claimed they did not know about the law change.
They pleaded for bail with their solicitor Michael French citing humanitarian grounds.
He said they had children to care for and were not aware of the regulations.
They had also provided three negative Covid tests in the last week and could quarantine at home, he argued.
He also said they will contest the charges and contended that it was a relatively minor offence with serious ramifications.
Mr French added that a challenge to the constitutionality of the law will be taken and submitted that people with Covid-19 were allowed to quarantine at home and were not subject to the same restrictions as the hotel quarantine measures travellers faced.
He submitted they did not have the funds for the quarantine fees and refusal of bail was disproportionate for an offence which carries a one-month jail term.
Judge Walsh granted bail with conditions but it required independent sureties to freeze bank accounts. This means, the defence argued, they will not be able to take up bail until Tuesday when banks re-open. Gardai were alerted on Friday by the State Liaison officer after the women flew in from the UAE and allegedly refused to go to a quarantine hotel. A payment of the €2,500 fee for their accommodation was also sought, the court heard. Garda Inspector Luke Lacey said there were objections to bail due to their failure to comply with the statutory travel regulations.
Releasing them would make a “mockery of the Act”, he argued. And he told the court “extraordinary times required extraordinary measures”.
An upset Ms Mcgrath was called in first. She wept throughout the hearing and at times shielded her face from the public gallery.
Garda Robbie Barber told Judge Walsh that Ms Mcgrath made no reply
She was warned over not going to the hotel GDA ROBBIE BARBER YESTERDAY
to charge. He arrested her at 2.50pm after he spent one hour and 50 minutes outlining the rules and giving her an opportunity to make phone calls for advice, he said.
He added: “It was explained in ordinary language what would happen if she did not go to the quarantine hotel.”
Garda Karl Connor told the court Ms Mulreany also made no reply to charge.
It was alleged he spent one hour and 45 minutes explaining the terms and she was also given a chance to get advice. Mr French said Ms Mulreany was on the lone parent’s allowance and needed to care for her child.
Granting free legal aid, the judge set identical bail terms in each case and ordered they surrender their passports.
Once the bail money is organised they can be released and must remain at Government-allocated hotels for 14 days unless they provide a negative PCR test after 10 days.
The cases will resume on April 9 at Dublin District Court.
■ Meanwhile, thousands are still enjoying foreign holidays despite a ban on non-essential travel, new figures have revealed.
The latest numbers from March 22 to March 28 show more than 12,000 people arrived to Ireland.
Of these, 6,848 were residents and 5,159 were not. The top five reasons given were a holiday or visit, work, medical treatment, visiting a sick relative or a funeral.