A judge has criticised the Department of Justice for refusing an entry visa to an Indian wrongly accused of having a conviction for assaulting his former girlfriend. Mr Anuragh Bhanari (25), with an address at Castleknock, Dublin, had admitted assaulting Ms Ragni Singh on two occasions last September. Judge William Earley had remanded him on bail until yesterday to see how he behaved on condition he stay away from Ms Singh.
Mr Bhanari then returned to the Punjab to marry another woman and when he tried to return to Ireland last March, the Department of Justice told British immigration authorities he was not allowed into Ireland because of an assault conviction. At the time, the court had not decided if it would convict him.
Ms Singh admitted in Dublin District Court yesterday that she had contacted the Department of Justice because she was afraid of Mr Bhanari.
Judge Earley said he was "not impressed" with either Ms Singh or the Department of Justice and said the Department should have checked as the court had the option of applying Section 1.1 of the Probation of Offenders Act without recording a conviction.
"I am being asked to impose a penalty on a defendant who the Department of Justice has already punished by refusing entry to this jurisdiction because of a conviction I have not recorded."
The court heard Mr Bhanari had been granted a one-week visa to attend court yesterday but although he was still paying the mortgage on his Castleknock house, he had not been allowed into Ireland since December.
Mr Bhanari had paid £2,000 compensation after his previous court appearance in November when he admitted headbutting Ms Singh in the St Stephen's Green shopping centre on September 19th and punching her in the head in a taxi at Woodford Drive, Clondalkin, 11 days earlier.
Judge Earley said "given all the circumstances" he would dismiss the assault charges under the Probation Act without recording a conviction.