Judge hears baseball bat left on court papers in repossessed house

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A baseball bat was left lying on a bed covered with court papers in a repossessed house whose owner was facing possible imprisonment for contempt of court, a judge was told today.

Last week, the High Court ordered that Patrick Ryan be brought before the court to answer alleged contempt over his alleged reoccupation of a house at Glendale Meadows, Leixlip, Co Kildare.

Lender, Start Mortgages had got possession of the house through the county sheriff over default on payment by Mr Ryan of a mortgage on the property which stood at €654,000.

The court heard the house had allegedly been forcibly entered and re-occupied last October.

When Start agents called, they did not find Mr Ryan there but a woman and a man who appeared to be living in it.

Mr Ryan wrote to Start in October saying he had re-occupied the property and would defy any other efforts to get him out.

In January, the High Court ordered the property be vacated.

Rudi Neuman BL for Start, was then last week granted attachment and committal to prison orders against Mr Ryan and the two occupants of the house over alleged breach of the January order to vacate.

Mr Ryan's approach to the proceedings had been to "deface" court documents served on him with various annotations, counsel said.

A judge last week issued an order that Mr Ryan and the occupants be arrested and brought before the court to answer why they should not be imprisoned for contempt.

When the case returned today there was no appearance by or on behalf of any of the defendants.

Mr Neuman said when Start's agent called to the property on Monday, he learned the house had been vacated over the weekend.

"Somewhat disturbingly, the court papers were laid out on a bed with a baseball bat across them which seems to say they are not really purging their contempt", counsel said.

The property has been secured and Mr Ryan had written an email to Start's solicitor outlining his account of the matter.

Mr Ryan has not been located. However he has claimed gardaí were trespassers on his property and he intends to take possession of it again, counsel said.

There had been two other inspections since Monday and while there appeared to be some interference with the locks they were intact, he said.

There is a concern if the contempt matter is disposed of that Mr Ryan will break back in and Start "would have to start again".

Mr Justice Charles Meenan agreed to adjourn the matter for a further week.

He said the fact Start had re-taken possession may be the end of the matter "but it may not" and everything the court had been told indicated it was not going to be permanent.

He said it would therefore be wrong to treat the matter as concluded and he was prepared to adjourn it.