Cork businesswoman accused of threat to drive vehicle through office of receiver

Woman tells court she wants opportunity to clear her good name

Mairead Barry told the High Court  she wants to bring a 'counter-claim' against the allegations made against her. File picture: Laura Hutton/RollingNews.ie

A businesswoman who is alleged to have threatened to drive her vehicle through the front window of the offices of a receiver has told the High Court she wants the opportunity to clear her good name.

Receiver Declan Taite of the firm Duff & Phelps claims that Mairead Barry has engaged in acts of intimidation and had made threats against him, his family and certain employees of the company.

Last week Mr Taite's lawyers secured permission from the High Court to serve short notice of injunction proceedings against Ms Barry.

He seeks an injunction preventing Ms Barry and her servants and agents from behaving in alleged threatening, abusive, intimidating, and insulting manner towards Mr Taite and his associates.

He also seeks orders preventing her from attending at or entering Mr Taite's company offices at Stephen's Green in Dublin 2.

'Counter-claim'

When the matter returned before Mr Justice Allen today, Ms Barry, who represented herself during the brief hearing, said she had never been in court before. She said she wants to bring a "counter-claim" against the allegations made against her.

Those allegations, she said, were published in the media without anyone asking her about her side of the story.

She wants the opportunity "to clear my good name", the court heard.

She also told the court that she was prepared to give undertakings to stay away from the receivers' offices and to only communicate with them through their solicitors.

She did not want the case adjourned generally, but asked the court to adjourn the matter for six months on medical grounds.

Mr Justice Allen agreed to adjourn the matter to a date in late October.

Sworn statement

In a sworn statement to the court, Mr Taite says that he was appointed as receiver over three properties in Mallow, Co Cork, belonging to Ms Barry's husband, Tim Sheahan.

Mr Taite said that he also had dealings with a company of which Ms Barry is a director over the sale of several apartments located at the St Lua's Apartment Complex Iona Drive, North Circular Rd, in Limerick.

Mr Taite said that his firm was appointed receivers over those properties but claims that an issue has arisen regarding that transaction.

Mr Taite said that when the receivers contacted Ms Barry about that issue, her response was troubling.

'Abusive and threatening'

He claims that when he spoke to her earlier this year, she was abusive and threatening in a sustained manner. He ceased all direct contact with Ms Barry, and said she was informed to only communicate through the receiver's solicitors.

Earlier in April, Mr Taite said that she telephoned his employers and that she told the person she was speaking with that she would drive her vehicle through the front window of Duff & Phelps' offices.

Mr Taite said that arising out of the threats he made a complaint to the gardaí, who he said told him that her threats are credible and should be taken seriously.

Mr Taite said as an experienced receiver he was used to being involved in contentious matters.

Given the nature of the threats and the Garda response, he was left with no option other than to bring proceedings before the High Court, he said.