Man on bail ordered: Give gardaí spare key
Accused man has breached court bail seven times
A MAN accused of abducting and attacking a teenage boy with a claw hammer has been ordered to give gardaí a key to his home after breaching his High Court bail conditions seven times, the Irish Mail on Sunday has learned.
Daniel Kelly from O’Malley Park, Southill, Limerick, has also been ordered to install a doorbell to ‘the specification of An Garda Síochána’.
Mr Kelly, 18, was charged with falsely imprisoning and threatening to kill an 18-year-old in September.
At a court hearing in January, he arrived at court dressed as Santa Claus, telling the judge he was celebrating Christmas belatedly as he had spent the festive season in custody.
When first charged Mr Kelly was refused bail following Garda objections at Limerick District Court.
Opposing the bail application, Garda Fiona O’Connell told the court it would be alleged the injured party was lured from his home at around 6.45pm on September 14, 2015, on the pretence he was to clear his name over a €150 drugs debt he owed.
She said he later told gardaí he was driven to an address in John Carew Park in the city where he was locked in a car for around ten minutes before being taken to a location in Janesboro.
It is alleged the youth was then forced to go to an area known as The Rock where he was beaten across the legs with a claw hammer.
Garda O’Connell told the court she believed Mr Kelly had access to finance and might attempt to flee the jurisdiction as his family owns property in Lanzarote.
His solicitor Aaron Desmond said his client’s father – Anthony Kelly – disputed this and denied that any members of his family own property overseas.
Garda O’Connell said senior Garda management had been briefed on the investigation and an operation had been put in place as the injured party is in fear of his life.
She added that she believed Mr Kelly, if released, would attempt to intimidate potential witnesses in the case.
She said a major concern for gardaí is that, through his family, Mr Kelly is associated with a criminal gang which is involved in the distribution of drugs and possession of firearms. This assertion was disputed by Mr Kelly’s defence. In his evidence, Mr Kelly undertook to abide by any bail conditions if released. He was at first refused bail, but was later given High Court bail which he has so far breached seven times.
Last Wednesday, Mr Kelly was arrested and brought before the High Court where the breaches to his bail – including failing to abide by a curfew and not signing on – were relayed to the court.
The judge refused to remand the accused in custody, instead ordering him to hand over a key to his house to allow gardaí enter ‘whenever they see fit’ and install a door
Celebrating Christmas late, he told judge
bell to Garda standards within 48 hours.
A source said: ‘Limerick gardaí are now looking up what standard of doorbell is required.’
In January, Kelly arrived at the district court to see if the book of evidence in his case was ready. He arrived dressed as Santa, telling the judge he was celebrating late as he had spent Christmas behind bars.