A legal trial has heard how singer Mary Coughlan was warned that an intruder had a knife after arriving to discover a housebreaking in progress at her Wicklow house nearly two years in the past.
A jury at Wicklow Circuit Prison Court docket heard the blues singer describe how her companion, John Kelly, and son-in-law, Ciarán Farrelly, tried to catch the burglar earlier than he escaped from the world.
Darren Carton (41) of Carraigoona Shut, Kilmacanogue, Co Wicklow has pleaded not responsible to the housebreaking of Ms Coughlan’s house at Barchuilla Commons, Kilmacanogue, on January ninth, 2021.
The accused has additionally pleaded not responsible to a cost of threatening to kill or trigger critical hurt to Mr Farrelly and to a separate offence of legal harm to a sliding door of Ms Coughlan’s home on the identical event.
The singer was not required to attend courtroom to offer proof and her witness assertion to gardaí was learn into the report by counsel for the DPP, James Kelly BL.
Counsel for the defendant, Justin McQuade BL, mentioned he had agreed to not cross-examine Ms Coughlan in ease of the witness and the prosecution.
Within the assertion, Ms Coughlan mentioned she had left her house along with her companion at round 3pm on the day of the housebreaking.
As they had been returning again to the home at round 4.55pm and approaching the property, she mentioned she obtained a name from her son-in-law who knowledgeable her somebody had tried to interrupt into his home which adjoins her own residence.
After they pulled up of their automotive, Ms Coughlan instructed her companion to go assist Mr Farrelly.
She mentioned she heard her companion shout out “they’re right here, they’re right here” as he was going in direction of Mr Farrelly’s home and referred to as for her to alert her son-in-law.
Moments later, Ms Coughlan mentioned she noticed Mr Farrelly come from across the aspect of her home asking her to cellphone the gardaí and warning her that the intruder had a knife.
The singer mentioned Mr Kelly went after the intruder however fell to the bottom. She recalled her son-in-law operating previous Mr Kelly after the male and there was “some combating.”
“All of it occurred so quick,” Ms Coughlan remarked.
She mentioned that she had not given anybody permission to enter her property, take gadgets or trigger harm to it.
In proof, Mr Kelly mentioned he seen a sliding door to a bed room in Ms Coughlan’s house had been pulled off its rails after arriving again on the property.
Mr Kelly mentioned he went round to enter the home by the entrance door and located drawers had been pulled out of a dresser with the bed room “in disarray.”
“It regarded like any individual turned over the place,” he noticed.
Mr Kelly mentioned he heard Mr Farrelly come into the home and go into one other bed room earlier than listening to his companion’s son-in-law comment: “What the f**ok are you doing?”
He heard the sound of a wrestle however the intruder and Mr Farrelly had separated by the point he obtained there.
Mr Kelly mentioned he heard the intruder warn Mr Farrelly: “I’ve obtained a knife and I’m going to stab you.”
In the beginning of the listening to on Friday, Mr Farrelly instructed the trial that he was driving in Kilmacanogue on the day after the incident along with his spouse and two youngsters when he seen a person at a bus cease on the N11 who appeared to be carrying the identical trousers and trainers because the intruder.
Mr Farrelly mentioned he turned the automotive round to go the placement once more and on a 3rd passing recorded temporary video footage along with his cellphone of the male.
He mentioned he thought it was the identical man who was in his mother-in-law’s home as he additionally had two black eyes.
Requested about his response to being threatened with a knife, Mr Farrelly mentioned he didn’t assume the burglar was messing. “It was a critical risk,” he added.
Mr Farrelly gave proof final week that he had by no means seen any weapon with the intruder.
Underneath cross-examination, he agreed with Mr McQuade that he was pretty sure “however not 100 per cent” that the intruder was the identical particular person as a person captured getting on a bus at Kilmacanogue.
The trial earlier than Decide Patrick Quinn and a jury of six girls and 6 males will proceed on Tuesday.