Man remanded to prison after assault

A DISTURBED Nigerian man, whose detention in a Garda station was ruled illegal by the High Court last Friday, was remanded to Limerick prison yesterday following an assault in a hotel on Sunday.

John Ughamadu, 25, was provided with accommodation by the State at the Quality Hotel in Limerick after Mr Justice John Edwards ordered his release last Friday.

He said Mr Ughamadu, who was held at Roxboro Road Garda Station for a week following his arrest in a Limerick church where he was found naked in a Christmas crib, was not in legal custody.

When repeated efforts to get him a place in the Central Mental Hospital failed, solicitor Ted McCarthy brought an application to the High Court with Isabel Kennedy, SC, under section 40 of the constitution.

Mr Justice Edwards, ordering the release of Mr Ughamadu, invited his lawyers to sue the State, saying he may be entitled to damages for breaches of his rights under the European Court of Human Rights.

Limerick District Court was told that an emergency housing officer with Limerick City Council had arranged for Mr Ughamadu to be accommodated in the Quality Hotel until tomorrow.

Inspector Seamus Nolan said an incident occurred at the hotel on Sunday afternoon after Mr Ughamadu was requested to leave and a staff member was assaulted.

The court was told he was arrested for an alleged assault and an alleged breach of the Public Order Act. A remand in custody was sought by the State.

Remanding Mr Ughamadu in custody to tomorrow’s court, Judge Tom O’Donnell asked that the director of the Central Mental Hospital, Dr Harry Kennedy, be present along with the HSE director of mental services in Limerick.