Offaly man facing Christmas in prison after bail refused by judge

AN Offaly man accused of knocking a garda sergeant down by driving a car at him faces spending Christmas behind bars.

Jeffrey Moran (35), College View, Rahan, was remanded in custody today (Thursday, October 9) by Judge Sinead McMullan at Tullamore Circuit Court when she refused him bail.

Mr Moran had been remanded to appear at the Circuit Court on Tuesday but when he did not do so a bench warrant was issued.

Detective Sergeant Brian Jennings gave evidence of arresting Mr Moran on Wednesday at the train station in Portlaoise where the man was seen with bags of clothes and the garda believed he was going to board a train.

Detective Sergeant Jennings said he was opposing bail because of breaches since Mr Moran appeared in Tullamore District Court in February.

A condition of bail at that time was that the accused was to sign in at Portlaoise Garda Station but the evidence was that he failed to do so on 188 occasions out of 232.

He had also missed two court appearances this year and two bench warrants had to be issued. There were also six breaches of a curfew which had been imposed on him.

When David Nugent, BL, appearing for Mr Moran, put it to Detective Sergeant Jennings that the accused was waiting for a lift at the train station, the garda witness said the man had not told him that.

The detective said Mr Moran had a phone with him and pointed to a scar on his head which he said had been caused by being hit with a bottle in Clara.

In his own evidence Mr Moran said he had returned to live in Rahan following a period living in Laois and wished to sign in at the garda station in Moate instead of Portlaoise.

He said it was costing him €50 every day or two to drive to the station and if it was changed to Moate it would be nearer and he could get help from his family.

Mr Moran said he had been in difficulty recently with an eye injury which required him going to the eye and ear in Dublin and in addition he had been struck with a pint glass.

The court heard that incident which resulted in the head injury may have been a case of mistaken identity.

Mr Moran also said he had two daughters and wanted to be admitted to bail because his youngest would be celebrating her first Christmas this year and he wished to be with her.

He said he would sign on twice a day at the garda station in Moate. “I'll do whatever it takes,” he said.

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Asked by Shane Geraghty, BL, for the DPP, why he had missed his appearance at the Circuit Court the previous Tuesday, Mr Moran said he was injured that day.

Mr Geraghty said that the maximum sentence for the most serious charge Mr Moran is facing, that of endangerment, is seven years in prison.

Judge McMullan said that while Mr Moran enjoys the presumption of innocence, she was really concerned about the failure to sign on at the garda station.

“We can't have people just not signing on in such a blatant manner,” said the judge.

She said the accused did not seem to be taking the bail conditions seriously and while she would not admit him to bail, she would not estreat the independent surety which had been pledged when it was first granted.

Mr Moran had been granted bail on his own bond of €500 cash with an independent surety of €5,000.

His case will not be listed for trial until June next year at the earliest but Judge McMullan remanded him in custody to appear before the Circuit Court again on January 13 next.

The endangerment charge against Mr Moran arises from an allegation that on February 18 last he drove at speed and collided with Detective Sergeant David Scahill.

Further charges connected with that are alleged assaulting a garda, failing to stop a vehicle, five offences of dangerous driving and driving without insurance.

A contested bail hearing in February was told it would be alleged by gardai that Mr Moran was driving a black Audi A4 in Tullamore when gardai signalled him to pull over but instead he continued driving.

It would be alleged that when Detective Sergeant Scahill was getting out of his car he was hit by Mr Moran's and knocked to the ground. The officer had to be hospitalised.

The Audi was also seen in Ballycumber and Pullough, the bail hearing was told.

It is a condition of Mr Moran's bai that he stay away from Detective Garda Scahill who is based in Tullamore Garda Station.