A 31-year old Co Clare man has appeared in court charged with assault causing harm of a Catholic co-parish priest in front of the congregation at Ennis Cathedral.
At Ennis District Court, Dylan O’Loughlin was charged with assault causing harm of Fr Joy Micle at St Peter and St Paul Cathedral, O’Connell Street, in Ennis lst Monday.
O’Loughlin, from the Burren village of Corofin but currently of no fixed abode, is also charged with criminal damage to €150 eye-glasses belonging to Fr Micle.
O’Loughlin is also charged with using or engaging in threatening, abusive or insulting words or behaviour with intent to provoke a breach of the peace.
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In court, Garda Thomas Murray said that during the alleged assault, O’Loughlin scraped Micle’s face and the priest sustained injuries over his right temple and right cheek.
Murray said that during the alleged assault, Micle’s eye-glasses fell and broke on the church floor.
The garda said that “other church-goers came to the priest’s assistance”.
The garda said O’Loughlin was also allegedly verbally abusive towards the priest, and further charges may be brought in the future.
Murray said gardaí were objecting to bail, as they fear there will be interference with witnesses.
He said Micle “is a man of faith, a priest and always at the cathedral, and that makes it very easy for Mr O’Loughlin to approach him should he receive bail”.
Solicitor John Casey, for O’Loughlin, applied for bail for his client, and described him as “a very vulnerable individual” who has good periods in his life. He said O’Loughlin suffers from paranoia.
Casey said that previously, O’Loughlin had worked in Shannon for a number of years and then had an accident unrelated to work, and did not go back afterwards.
Judge Adrian Harris granted bail to O’Loughlin on condition that he remain out of Ennis, and also ordered him to obey a nightly curfew.
Harris also ordered that O’Loughlin is not to have any contact with the alleged injured party or witnesses in the case, and remanded him to bail to appear before Ennis District Court next month.
