Couple have paid over €10,000 of son’s drug debts due to intimidation, court hears

A couple have secured a temporary barring order against their adult son after they told a court they have paid more than €10,000 in drug debts for him due to intimidation.

The man and woman told Dublin District Family Court on Wednesday that their son was using cocaine in the family home and “refuses to stop”.

“While he is on cocaine he is abusive, aggressive and uncontrollable,” the couple said in a sworn statement. “In the last five weeks, we have paid his drug debts due to intimidation. He is also violent to all in the house while on drugs.”

Judge Gerard Furlong asked how much had been paid in drug debts, to which the father replied “€10,500″.

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“My goodness me,” the judge said.

The father also said that when he tried to stop his son taking drugs, he turned aggressive, hit him and also attacked his other son. The man said his son had also turned up at his job previously “looking for money”.

Judge Furlong granted the couple an interim barring order on an ex-parte (one side represented only) basis, which excludes their son from the family home for eight days, and from watching or being near it. A full hearing, which the couple’s son is expected to attend, was set for a later date this month.

Judge Furlong said the man would be removed from the family home and told his parents that “anytime he comes back, you must ring the gardaí”.

Alleged assault

In a separate case, a woman told the court her former partner had “kicked my door in twice” recently. She alleged that on one of those occasions he sexually assaulted her.

The woman said she and the man, who was not in court, had previously been in a relationship and had lived together for a short time.

She said the man broke into her home twice and, on the first occasion, she was not there. He stayed for the night and was subsequently removed by gardaí.

The woman said in recent days the man again broke into her home and “broke my doors and all the locks on it, got into my bed”. She alleged that he had “sexual intercourse with me without my consent”.

She said she reported the incident to the gardaí and the man was in Garda custody and due before a court shortly.

Judge Furlong told the woman she had applied for a protection order but, given the seriousness of the allegations, an interim barring order would be more appropriate. She said she was agreeable to taking that approach.

A protection order would prohibit the man from using or threatening to use violence, while an interim barring order would exclude him from the woman’s home or watching or being near it.

Judge Furlong granted the woman an interim barring order and a full hearing, which the man is expected to attend, was set for a date later this month.