Three men sentenced over illegal eviction

Three men have been sentenced for carrying out a forced eviction for a landlord who was having trouble with squatting tenants.

Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard that the three Lithuanian nationals seemed to be unaware that they were breaking the law when they forced an innocent tenant to pack his bags and leave.

Darius Adamonis, aged 46, of Linnetsfield Square, Ongar, Clonee, Dublin, his son Darvydas Adamonis, aged 27, of Latchfield Square, Castaheany, Blanchardstown, Dublin, and Linas Butrinovicius, aged 29, of Kennedy Crescent, Navan, Co Meath, all pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to the false imprisonment of Richard Nagle at Cabra Park, Dublin City, on October 16, 2013.

Darius Adamonis told gardaí that the owner of the house, Peter Downey, had told him that he was having trouble with people in his house and he wanted them kicked out of the house.

He jailed Butrinovicius for two years as he had produced an imitation firearm and he imposed an 18-month sentence on Darius Admonis because he had known the landlord.

Judge Martin Nolan gave Darvydas Adamonis a two-year suspended sentence as he did not initiate the “escapade”. The court heard that student Richard Nagle, aged 25, who was not one of the squatting tenants, had only moved in days earlier after paying a man a €500 deposit for a room in the house.

Detective Garda Damien Murphy told Seamus Clarke BL, prosecuting, that Mr Nagle was a student renting one of the bedsits in the three-storey sub-divided building. He said the men had met Mr Nagle in the hallway of the building and began asking him questions about his tenancy and about other residents.

When he went to move one the men blocked his exit by placing a hand in front of him. They told him: “You’re moving out, get your stuff,” and led him upstairs to his room. They told him he could not use his telephone.

Mr Nagle said he feared for his life. He was begging the men to let him go but they said: “No, we’re taking over here, so get your stuff out.”

The men followed him into his flat where the victim noticed Butrinovicius was holding a firearm. This later turned out to be an air pistol.

Mr Nagle packed up all his belongings into three bin bags and took them out the front of the house.

After the eviction the victim contacted gardaí who arrived at the scene shortly afterwards.

The court heard Mr Downey, the landlord, made a statement to gardaí in which he described having squatters in the premises which was making it impossible for him to show the house to potential buyers.