Pair spend second night in tent outside building
Brendan Kelly and his German-born wife Asta said they were determined to camp outside the property at St Matthias Woods, Killiney, to highlight their outrage at the physical manner in which they had been expelled.
Their eviction from their gated-community residence — which was valued at €3.75m at the peak of the property market in 2008 — prompted outrage after it was captured on video and circulated on social media websites.
However, the public reaction was mixed after it emerged the couple retain a large property portfolio in Ireland, which they bought after selling up a successful retail business they ran for many years in Germany.
The incident prompted a sit-in protest at the office of the Dublin city and county sheriff in Temple Bar yesterday afternoon, while the matter was also raised in the Dáil.
The couple yesterday criticised the actions of the Irish Bank Resolution Corporation (the entity which took over both Anglo Irish Bank and Irish Nationwide) as well as bailiffs operating on behalf of the sheriff in forcing their eviction.
“Nothing could justify the manner and style in which they behaved,” said Mrs Kelly.
“While bailiffs carried out the eviction, the bank cannot wash its hands of what happened.”
Mrs Kelly, 63, said they had been unable to make any arrangement with the banks to collect their belongings as security staff warned them off coming on their former property.
Her husband, a qualified accountant, said the Government’s promise to avoid families being evicted from their homes was not credible given the actions of the state-owned bank.
The couple had bought the property for €3.2m in 2004 with the aid of a €2m mortgage from Irish Nationwide.
However, the building society obtained a repossession order on the property two years ago after the Kellys fell behind in their mortgage repayments.
Mr Kelly said he had not sold other properties which they owned in order to meet their debts as it was practically impossible to sell any houses in the current climate without suffering further losses.
He praised the help offered by neighbours in the cul-de-sac of five houses as well as the support from members of the public.
The IBRC refused to make a spokesperson available yesterday but, in a statement, the bank said a full legal process had been followed.
“The decision to repossess any residential property is highly regrettable and comes only after all options have been fully exhausted and the mortgage is deemed to be unsustainable,” the statement read.
The Dublin city and county sheriff, John Fitzpatrick, defended the actions of his officers and said they had called gardaí to the premises to monitor the operation.
“We removed the occupants as gently as we could. Mr Kelly wished to make a point but we were there to carry out a court order.”
Tánaiste Eamon Gilmore, who is the TD for the area, said he was seeking further details, although he had had no contact from the Kellys.
