A PROPERTY owner previously jailed for contempt is to be brought before the High Court after allegedly barricading himself into a property which he had undertaken not to interfere with.
Séamus Killoran was jailed last August for contempt of court orders restraining interference with a receiver appointed over three of his properties, including a house at Coolcarrig, Coill Dubh, Naas, Co Kildare.
He was released after spending 24 hours in Mountjoy when he undertook not to interfere with the work of receiver Fergus Lowe.
At the High Court yesterday, Mr Justice Roderick Murphy directed gardaí to bring Mr Killoran before the court after being informed by counsel for Mr Lowe that Mr Killoran had breached the undertaking previously given by re-entering the property in Naas.
William Abrahamson, for the receiver, said Mr Killoran had recently re-entered the premises in Naas, changed the locks and barricaded himself into the property.
Mr Abrahamson said the receiver had no option but to bring a motion requiring Mr Killoran to be brought before the court and committed to prison if he continued to be in contempt of the court orders.
He said Mr Killoran had been served with notice of the proceedings and only attended the previous proceedings after being brought to the court by gardaí.
Mr Justice Murphy made the matter returnable to later this week.
In December 2010, Dankse Bank, trading as NIB, appointed Mr Lowe as receiver to Mr Killoran’s properties at Ardilaun Green, Ballymahon Road, Mullingar, Co Westmeath; Carra Grove, Mullingar, and the Naas house.
The receiver brought proceedings against Mr Killoran last July after security staff hired by Mr Lowe discovered he had changed the locks and barricaded himself into the Naas house.
Last August, Mr Justice Gerard Hogan committed Mr Killoran to Mountjoy for a month after holding that he was in “flagrant breach” of the order not to interfere with the receiver’s work.
Mr Killoran was released the following day after he purged his contempt and agreed to comply with the order. Since then, he has given up possession of the two properties in Co Westmeath, the court heard.