In an intentional act of vandalism, a man purposefully drove his vehicle into the gates of Áras an Uachtaráin, incurring damages exceeding €10,000, as revealed in a recent court session. Fifty-eight-year-old Ronan Dunn, resident of Griffin Rath Hall, Maynooth, Co Kildare, was seized and detained, with a bailing amount set at €6,000. He was implicated on charges of criminal damage, following the incident that occurred at four in the afternoon on Thursday.
On Friday, Dunn presented himself at the Dublin District Court. In response to the charges against him, Dunn chose to remain silent. Garda officer Emma Gilmore argued against Dunn’s bail, informing Judge Paula Murphy about witnessing a 2013 registered Hyundai car making its way towards the Phoenix Gate Lodge on surveillance footage. She then witnessed the vehicle reversing into the Phoenix Gates, causing destruction estimated at greater than €10,000.
Subsequent to the incident, the witness officer from the Garda retrieved a series of characters and a message written on a piece of cardboard placed near the windshield of the vehicle stating “criminal organisation controlling my family; call the Criminal Assets Bureau or gardaí”. Post-arrest, Dunn seemingly confessed to intentionally hitting the gates of Áras an Uachtaráin with his car as a cry for help, harboring the profound belief that his family was being manipulated by a criminal association. Despite these claims, Garda reassured that no relation between Dunn’s family and criminal activities existed.
The magistrate was informed that Dunn had no previous convictions. In response to his exclamation to Garda, defence solicitor Paul Byrne suggested that it portrayed his client’s mental state and it was accepted by the Garda as a health-related issue. Despite being apprehended on-the-spot, Judge Murphy understood the State’s apprehensions but proceeded to approve Dunn’s bail coupled with several conditions including prohibition from visiting state-owned buildings such as Áras an Uachtaráin and Leinster House.
Dunn, who remained silent throughout the court proceedings and has not yet pled to the charges, was temporarily remanded in custody by Judge Murphy, with the permission to bail and is scheduled to attend court again the following Friday.