The media have been banned from naming the accused at the request of gardai because of the “current climate in the country” and the “sensitive nature” of the case
The man (25) is accused of trying to unlawfully take a minor after “interacting” with the child and a 10-year-old.
The media have been banned from naming the accused at the request of gardai because of the “current climate in the country” and the “sensitive nature” of the case.
Judge Gerard Jones ordered reporting restrictions and remanded the man in custody when he appeared in Dublin District Court and his defence deferred a bail application.
The accused is charged with intentionally attempting to take a child or cause a child to be taken or detained unlawfully.
The offence, contrary to Common Law, is alleged to have happened at an address in Dublin 9 on Saturday, September 14.
Garda Laura McDermott told Judge Jones she arrested the accused for the purpose of charging him at Raheny station at 5.25pm yesterday.
He was charged at 6.20pm, she said.
He replied after caution: “I was not taking the child anywhere. I am not a person like that. I do not have any intentions with a child. I do not have any bad or unwanted intentions with a child.”
Gda McDermott said she was objecting to bail but defence solicitor Michael Kelleher said having taken instructions from the accused, “we are not quite yet in a position to make a bail application.” He asked for the case to be put back to Wednesday.
Judge Jones asked the garda what the case was about.
Gda McDermott said it was the prosecution’s case that the accused was attending a party at an apartment in Dublin 9 and after he left he was captured on CCTV “interacting with two small children” aged five and 10. He did not know the children who were strangers to him, the garda said.
The garda said on the footage, the children are seen trying to get in a door to the building and it was alleged that at one point the accused follows a child inside.
Moments later, he is allegedly seen going out with the five year old “under arm.”
According to gardai, the 10-year-old goes after them, they return to the building and the children go inside. The accused is allegedly seen attempting to get back in the door before leaving.
The judge asked Gda McDermott if the accused was alleged to have had the child “in his grasp.”
“He had the five year old child under arm and was walking away,” the garda said.
Defence solicitor Michael Kelleher said the accused accepted he was in the building at a party and was intoxicated.
The judge said it was a “very serious matter.”
He remanded the accused in custody to Cloverhill District Court on Wednesday, when he is expected to make a bail application.
Gda McDermott then applied to the court for reporting restrictions. The judge agreed and made an order that the accused cannot be named.
