RTÉ gatecrasher faces Pat Kenny posters charge

A road-safety crank who crashed his car into RTÉ studios at Donnybrook earlier this month was arrested just before Christmas for alleged threatening behaviour outside the private home of the station’s top broadcaster, Pat Kenny.

Gardaí have confirmed that Paul Stokes, a 52-year-old self-employed engineer, was charged before a special sitting of Dublin District Court on Christmas Eve.

He was arrested on December 23 near Mr Kenny’s home in Harbour Road, Dalkey, Co Dublin, for allegedly putting up threatening posters in the area.

The posters read: “Paul Stokes is still here — but Pat Kenny won’t be soon.”

Mr Stokes was charged under Section 10 of the Non-Fatal Offences Against the Person Act 1997 which relates to harassment.

Anyone convicted before a District Court of the offence faces a maximum jail sentence of 12 months plus a fine of €1,904.

The maximum jail term can rise to seven years if tried before a Circuit Court jury.

Mr Stokes, who has carried out several high-profile, outrageous publicity stunts in recent months to highlight an invention he claims will eliminate road deaths, was remanded in custody at Cloverhill Prison.

He is due to appear before another sitting of Dublin District Court tomorrow.

Mr Stokes, with an address at Montpellier Parade, Monkstown, Co Dublin, could find himself in more serious trouble.

He has already been ordered by a District Court judge to refrain from contacting RTÉ management and staff as part of his bail conditions arising out of a charge of causing criminal damage at the RTÉ studios at Montrose on December 2. Mr Stokes has also been ordered to stay at least two miles from the station’s grounds.

The inventor crashed his car into the reception doors of the studio as guests from the Tubridy Tonight show were leaving the building.

A week earlier, Stokes managed to elude security at RTÉ to gatecrash the live studio audience on The Late Late Show to confront its presenter, Mr Kenny, with a string of abuse.

He has directed much of his campaign against RTÉ, which he blames for failing to give any coverage to his invention.

Mr Stokes was stopped by security officials at the station when he made another attempt to break into the studios during a live transmission of the afternoon show, Seoige and O’Shea.

He also tried to get into the studios of Dublin radio station 98FM last week.