Nursing home seeks court order for removal of ‘unsuitable’ resident
Judge Carroll Moran last week gave Jim Hourigan three weeks to leave Abbot Close nursing home in Askeaton after affidavits were handed into court alleging Hourigan had sexually abused a member of staff and created other problems.
The case was brought back to court yesterday when the owners of Abbot Close claimed that after a report on the earlier hearing appeared in the Irish Examiner, Hourigan had caused more problems, upsetting elderly residents and staff.
Hourigan was at the centre of a major alert in Roscrea two years ago when he threatened to blow up a house.
He went to Abbot Close last January to recover from surgery. The HSE paid for a three-week stay and at that point he booked into one of the semi-independent houses on the Abbot Close campus. However he has run up bills of more than €3,700 and now refuses to leave.
At last week’s hearing Judge Moran refused a request from Hourigan to allow him remain until January 31 to enable him find alternative accommodation.
His counsel, Ross O’Driscoll BL, told the court Hourigan was devastated by an allegation of sexual abuse contained in an affidavit from the nursing home.
Denis McElligott, one of the owners of Abbot Close, told the court yesterday that, following last week’s hearing, Hourigan had been causing more problems, abusing staff, upsetting residents and being disruptive.
Mr McElligott said Hourigan had been going to elderly residents showing them a report of last week’s hearing in the Irish Examiner. He told residents a member of staff had claimed he had raped her.
Mr McElligott said: “Residents were distraught and did not know what was going on. Members of staff were also very distressed and upset.”
Mr McElligott said that on Friday last a suicide note was found in the house occupied by Hourigan and this sparked a search involving the gardaí.
Hourigan turned up the following day and did not explain his action.
They were told on Monday last that Hourigan had taken weed killer and when people went to his assistance he became abusive.
An ambulance which was called to Abbot Close refused to take Hourigan after the crew said there had been a previous incident involving a knife.
Mr McElligott said Hourigan in recent days came to the main nursing home building for his medication and was drunk and abusive.
He threw the medication in a nurses face.
Mr McElligott said: “We feel he is not suitable for a nursing home where there are vulnerable people aged between 75 and 98 and staff fear his every move.”
Judge Carroll Moran said he could make an order to have Hourigan removed, but it might be difficult to bring it into effect.
He adjourned the matter to today and ordered Hourigan not to enter, approach or contact the main nursing home building.
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