More than 20 protesters opposed to the Shell project in north Mayo were crammed into a packed Belmullet District Court on Wednesday to face a litany of mostly public order charges in relation to incidents spanning throughout the Belmullet area in May and June.
Many of those before Judge Denis McLoughlin were not from the jurisdiction with addresses from on the charge sheets from London, Cork, Kerry, Dublin, and Galway and were arrested following the National Day of Action on May 9, at Glengad; May 31 at Glengad; and on June 2 and 5 at Broadhaven Bay. Defendants from protest incidents in 2008 were also before the court.
Only once case was heard, that of Aidan Cahill, 49 St Bridget’s Park, Blanchardstown, Dublin 15, who pleaded guilty for the possession of items with the intent to cause damage.
On May 9, Cahill was arrested after gardaí discovered that he had chains and ropes in his possession to cause damage to fences at Glengad. The defendant’s solicitor, said that the civil servant, who had come down from Dublin for the protest, but changed his mind about taking part when he got there, did not use the implements which he brought with him. Forty-year-old Cahill was directed to pay €250 to the St Vincent De Paul Society.
One defendant, Niall Harnett, who pleaded not guilty to all charges against him, made an application for a Gary Doyle Order for disclosure, which was granted by the judge. The remaining defendants through solicitors Alan Gannon and Evan O’Dwyer, or those who represented themselves, also applied for a Gary Doyle order. All these cases were adjourned until July 8 2009 for a plea or to fix a date for hearing.
