GARDAÍ ARE investigating an alleged act of intimidation against a witness who gave evidence for the owners of the Lissadell estate in their High Court case against Sligo County Council.
Charlie Kelly, who owns Atlantic Clams Ltd, gave evidence last week in a case in which Lissadell owners, Edward Walsh and his wife Constance Cassidy, are in dispute with the local authority over rights of way across the estate.
Mr Kelly, who lives with his wife Catherine and five children aged 12 to 19 years at Rathcormac, Co Sligo, discovered three council cones and a sign used during road works planted in their gateway yesterday morning.
He said his wife heard somebody outside the house between 3am and 4am, but they thought nothing of it until they inspected the driveway after breakfast.
Mr Kelly (55) said: “There are no road works anywhere near my house so I must presume it was some kind of intimidation about my evidence during the week.”
He said he shellfished in Drumcliff Bay and rented premises from the Lissadell estate. He gave evidence about that in the High Court during last week.
Gardaí were called to take details of the incident. A county council spokesman said it had nothing to do with the incident.
Ten days ago, Mr Justice Bryan McMahon travelled through the estate, including along a road that passed the front door, to assess the issues that have been before his court during the past three weeks, after an adjournment in October.
Mr Walsh told the court that the council’s actions were “designed to humiliate, embarrass and undermine everything that had been done” at the 410-acre estate since the couple bought it in 2003.
He described as “an absolute shaft” a December 2008 council resolution to amend the Sligo development plan to provide for “preservation of the public rights of way” at Lissadell.