Two young men who allegedly exited a stolen car shortly before the driver rammed a garda patrol car, injuring a garda, have been granted bail after pledging to adhere to strict conditions.
Dean Heaphy, aged 18, and Deon Stark, aged 20, are both charged with the same offence — that on 22 June at Glanmire Business Park in Co Cork they allowed themselves to be carried in a car which had been taken without the owner’s consent, reports Breaking News.
Garda Niall McCarthy told a sitting of Cork District Court that he was objecting to bail on account of the seriousness of the offence.
He told Judge Valerie Corcoran that on 22 June, gardaí received information that a black Volvo XC90 had been stolen in Douglas on the southside of Cork city, reports Breaking News.
An off-duty detective subsequently spotted the car in Glanmire Business Park that afternoon, noting a number of young men inside the vehicle.
When gardaí arrived on site, they found a young man in the driver’s seat and a second male in the front passenger seat, reports Breaking News.
Garda McCarthy said the driver reversed and struck a wall in the business park before driving at the parked patrol car, “smashing into it and causing the car to strike” a named garda, injuring her.
The driver then rammed a van and another garda vehicle before he and the front-seat passenger managed to flee the scene, reports Breaking News.
Whilst at the scene, the off-duty detective identified two young men who had allegedly exited the back seats of the stolen vehicle prior to the ramming incident.
Garda McCarthy said the men were Stark of Mount St Joseph’s Heights, Bakers Road, Cork, and Heaphy of Churchfield Terrace East, Churchfield in the city, reports Breaking News.
In making his objection to bail, the garda said that Stark and Heaphy had allegedly attempted to purchase new number plates for the stolen vehicle at a nearby business and were caught “red-handed” at the scene.
Both young men were without legal representation in court arising from a solicitors’ protest over payments for criminal legal aid work, specifically the introduction of a flat fee per client regardless of the number of hearings involved in a case, reports Breaking News.
The judge was informed that Stark was dyslexic and said it was difficult for him to read the paperwork relating to a “complex bail application.”
She told both men it would be “prudent” to delay their bail applications on “serious charges” for a week given the lack of legal representation, however they both opted to proceed with their applications, reports Breaking News.
The judge granted bail to both men, ordering them to continue residing at their respective home addresses, sign on daily at Gurranabraher Garda Station, remain contactable on their mobile phones at all times, stay out of Glanmire, have no contact with each other, and comply with a daily curfew of 11pm to 7am.
The judge indicated that gardaí could call to the homes of both men at any time, saying that if they were not home they would ultimately find themselves arrested and imprisoned, reports Breaking News.
Heaphy will be back before the court on 7 July with Stark appearing a day earlier.
Both men were assisted by their mothers in making their respective bail applications, reports Breaking News.
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