Attempted imprisonment of teenager: man in court

A MAN charged with the attempted false imprisonment of a teenage girl has been remanded in custody.

The man, whose name may not be released until a further court order is made, appeared before a special sitting of Athlone District Court late yesterday afternoon.

Detective Sergeant Kieron Hanley said the accused man had nothing to say when he was charged earlier that afternoon with the offence, alleged to have taken place at Moyclare, Ferbane on July 19.

No bail application was made and Judge Seamus Hughes acceded to the state’s request that the 42-year-old be remanded in custody to appear before Cloverhill District Court on Wednesday.

At the request of his solicitor Patrick Martin, he ordered a medical and psychiatric report.

Mr Martin said “a potential media frenzy” surrounded the arrest and asked that his client not be named. However, he noted that the name had been “released already” and Judge Hughes said he believed this to be the case.

Now that the man has been charged, the judge said reporting is subject to the strictures of the Bail Act.

He said Mr Martin had brought no law or authority with him to make the request, but he nonetheless ordered that the victim should not be named and that the accused not be named until further order.

The judge said it has been his experience, even before he came to the bench, that “in the main” the media acted very responsibly.

Legal aid was granted as the accused is not working and is in receipt of a disability payment. The man did not speak during the brief hearing and sat silently beside his solicitor.