The High Court discovered that enforcement delays linked to Garda staffing difficulties imply that a man accused of unlawfully inhabiting an electricity substation cannot be apprehended until the following week. Glen Oglesby, who alleges to have been dwelling in a caravan situated on an ESB-owned substation site in Gloucester Place Upper, located in the northern section of Dublin’s inner city, received an arrest order by Mr Justice Mark Sanfey on Wednesday. The reason for this is that he claimed he had no other place to reside.
ESB’s contention is that the location is not suitable for living and sought the arrest order due to Oglesby’s persistent neglect to comply with a prior demand to remove his caravan. The situation was placed before the judge once more on Friday. During this time, John Punch SC, representing ESB, stated that law enforcement had informed them the order wouldn’t be implemented until the next week due to “staffing issues.”
Although Garda Supt Cormac Brennan from Store Street station was in the court willing to explain the situation if the judge wanted to hear from him, the judge saw no need for discussion as the Garda Commissioner had classed it as an operational issue. Disappointment was expressed by the judge, from the failure of immediate implementation of his order.
John Punch stated that Oglesby, who hasn’t attended court since his first appearance on the 3rd of May, had been massively lenient and given ample opportunities to evacuate his caravan. He mentioned that the “ball now was firmly in the Garda Commissioner’s court.” The judge voiced his worry that the location was perilous and was not the standard trespassing case that the court typically deals with.