Seen running from house after windows smashed

A householder told Sligo District Court how he saw a man running down the driveway of his house after windows of his house were smashed.

Edward Keane said he called after the man who looked around and he recognised him as Martin Ward of The Halting Site, Tubbercurry.

Ward denied breaking windows at the house at Ballyara, Tubbercurry on April 14th last. He was represented by Mr Gerard McGovern, solicitor.

Garda David Clarke gave evidence that at 9.15pm he received a call about an incident at Keane’s house and spoke with Mr Keane who said he saw the defendant running away after windows were broken.

Witness rang the defendant around 10.20pm and he told him he was in Roscommon. CCTV was viewed from the Aurivo premises from across the road from the Keane house and on May 3rd the defendant was arrested and questioned.

He was also shown the CCTV footage. Ward made no admissions, said the Garda. Later, the memo of the question and answer session was read to the court and Ward had replied ‘ no comment’ to all questions.

On February 19th this year, a juvenile called tot he station in Tubbercurry accompanied by his mother and said that he had broken the windows.

Garda Clarke said he had some doubts with regard to some elements of the juvenile’s statement.

“It was hard to believe his version of events,” said the Garda.

In reply to Mr McGovern, the Garda said the defendant’s phone wasn’t seized to ascertain whether he had been in Roscommon that night.

Edward Keane said he heard a loud banging which put the children crying. He ran out the front door and he saw a man running away.

“I shouted after him and he turned around and that’s how I knew it was him ( Ward). I’ve know him for four to five years,” said witness.

The defendant was wearing a maroon jumper/ hoody.

He said that the defendant and his wife, Julie Ann, had been driving up and down the road outside before this in an Opel Corsa, shouting in at them. Witness said three panes had been broken and cost € 900 to repair.

Mr Keane said he was certain the man he saw was the defendant. There was good lighting and his eyesight was good with his glasses on which they were.

Ward, in evidence, said he recalled getting a phonecall from Garda Clarke and he told him he was in Roscommon, on his way back from Tullamore where his wife’s family was from.

“How can I be in two places at the one time? I’m not in a jet,” he said.

He admitted there was history between the parties but said what was in the past was in the past. “I did not break any windows,” he said. The defendnt went on to say that “every Keane wants to tell lies.”

He told Inspector Donal Sweeney ( prosecuting) that he left Tullamore around 9.30pm that night.

The defendant said he did not speak to the juvenile who had come forward to say he had broken the windows.

This juvenile was not in court. He was aged 16 or 17.

The youth’s mother told the court she had attended at the Garda Station in Tubbercurry with her son.

She said her son got angry when the Keanes had put up on Facebook the fact that the boy’s grandmother had died. She didn’t know he was going to break windows and was sorry afterwards for what he had done.

Witness, who lived in North Sligo, said her son had thumbed a lift to and from Tubbercurry. She collected her son on his return in Sligo town.

The statement made by the juvenile was read to the court and he described how he got a lift to the Ballina Road in Tubbercurry around 8pm but he was not sure who gave him the lift.

He went on to break two windows with a bat he found behind a yard in Ballytivnan. After breaking the windows he ran out the Charlestown Road in Tubbercurry and hid in a field for 20 minutes. He then got a lift from two women who dropped him off in Frenchpark. From there he got another lift to Collooney roundabout and a further one into Sligo where his mother collected him at 10.30pm.

He said he was wearing a maroon/ red coloured hoody that night but had dumped it because he had put on weight.

The juvenile told Garda Clarke he was telling the truth. Someone else was getting the blame for what happened and he felt bad about this.

Witness told the Inspector that the defendant was her son in law.

Judge Kevin Kilrane said he would give his decision on the case this coming Thursday.

“I have to think about this,” he said.