Corkman who dived through window to evade gardaí tells court he was 'just being silly'

Officers were investigating telephone texts which were frightening his ex-wife

Judge Olann Kelleher said that in all the circumstances he could not grant bail to the accused and remanded him in custody for a week. File picture: Larry Cummins

A man dived through a double-glazed window to get away from gardaí investigating telephone texts which were frightening his ex-wife.

The man appeared at an in-camera hearing of Cork District Court heavily bandaged to his head and both of his arms. Judge Olann Kelleher refused his application to be released on bail and remanded him in custody for a week.

Garda Ross Broekhuizen testified that he and his colleagues went to arrest the accused where he was residing in Cork in relation to the investigation of reported breaches of his ex-wife’s barring order against him.

Garda Broekhuizen said in the case - where the parties cannot be identified because it is a Domestic Violence Act matter – that the 50-year-old man jumped through the ground floor window and fell on to the ground.

He said that when Garda Chloe Smith caught up with him outside the property and went to arrest him he resisted by swinging his arm back in her direction.

The defendant was arrested and charged with two counts of breaching the barring order by allegedly sending his ex-wife texts on dates earlier this month and one count of obstructing Garda Smith.

During cross-examination of Garda Broekhuizen, Mr Buttimer said: 

You go around and try to arrest this not very wise man in terms of his diving actions.

Garda Broekhuizen said his concern was the level of fear experienced by the defendant’s ex. “He is aware he is not supposed to text her but he continues to do it,” the guard said.

The complainant said she has been in fear of her ex-husband since she got pregnant with the first of their two children and she claimed he had been abusing her emotionally, physically and sexually for a number of years. “I don’t know what he is capable of,” she said.

Asked by defence solicitor, Frank Buttimer, why he dived through the window on July 20 when the gardaí called to arrest him, the defendant said he was very sad about not seeing his children and was not happy about how he was failing to get access to them.

Asked again about jumping through the glass window, he said: “Just being silly. I don’t understand why I did it.” He told Sergeant John Kelleher he would have no contact with his ex-wife by text or by any means if granted bail.

Judge Olann Kelleher said that in all the circumstances he could not grant bail to the accused and remanded him in custody for a week.

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