Anti-road protesters to appear in court

Proceedings against six road protesters for allegedly breaching an order preventing interference with Wicklow County Council'…

Proceedings against six road protesters for allegedly breaching an order preventing interference with Wicklow County Council's controversial road works at the Glen of the Downs are to come before the High Court again tomorrow. The court yesterday directed the gardai to ensure that three of the protesters attend tomorrow's hearing.

One of the three - Ms Diana Peuker (25), who is from an area near Berlin - was in court yesterday and was represented by Mr Diarmaid McGuinness. He also represented two others who were not in court.

Asked for her address, Ms Peuker said she had been at the glen since last August.

She said she was quite often in Co Donegal where she did a herbalism course. She wrote out her address in Germany and handed it into the court.

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Another three people who did not attend yesterday's hearing, or were not represented, are to be served with notice of tomorrow's hearing. One of the three was stated to be a woman from Scotland who has now returned there.

The six people involved in proceedings before Mr Justice Lavan yesterday were not among the 13 jailed by Mr Justice Barr in the High Court on February 18th after they refused to agree not to interfere with the road works.

Nine of the 13 were freed last Friday after they agreed not to interfere with the road works. They had at that point spent seven days in jail.

The remaining four - all male - are still in Clover Hill prison, Clondalkin, Dublin.

Mr Justice Lavan was told yesterday by counsel for Wicklow County Council that further attempts were made to prevent trees, which had already been felled, from being removed from the site of the proposed dual carriageway. One protester was said to have chained himself to an excavator and another had attached himself to a truck whose bumper had to be removed to get him away.