Man who was on a protection order tried to enter family home via skylight

The man appeared before the Dublin District Court.

A separated husband tried to re-enter his family home through a skylight after he was served with a protection order, a court has heard.

The man, who is in his late 30s, appeared twice this week before Judge Treasa Kelly at Dublin District Court. He faced a second charge on Friday for breaching a protection order within four days, and there was a Garda application to remand him in custody.

During the contested bail hearing, his wife told the court she and her husband had separated and she has applied for a divorce. She said he had not been living at their co-owned north Dublin home for several months.

Since that time, she alleged, he had been threatening her “and speaking badly about me”. 

The woman was in tears as she told the court: “I’m afraid to go to work, I’m afraid to go shopping or to go with the children to the playground. Last week, we spent in the house with the curtains drawn.” 

On Monday, in the family law court, she obtained a protection order and sent him a photo of it via WhatsApp, which is permitted.

She alleged he replied, “you bitch” just after midnight.

He had been arrested and brought before the court on Tuesday for attempting to go into the house in the early hours of that morning. The court was told he “tried to force entry through the front door but was unable to and climbed onto the roof and tried to gain access through the skylight.” 

He had also claimed that he had not seen the copy of the protection of the order as he had been having an argument with his wife through WhatsApp messages.

The man told the court he did not understand his bail conditions meant no contact 

He was bailed on Tuesday and told he could not go back to the house or contact his wife. Over the next three days he sent three messages. One was a greeting but in the others he mentioned he would be coming back to live in the house and gardaí would assist him, and that she had to tell him which room he could use.

His solicitor Kate McGhee described the situation as a “mess”. She said her client had been messaging his wife about their home but he was not threatening.

The accused told the court he had not understood that his bail conditions meant no contact. He now lived in his car, he claimed but would stay at a friend’s home, she added.

The judge granted bail and ordered him to appear again next month when he will be expected to indicate how he intends to plead.