A man awaiting sentence at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court for drug offences has had his bail revoked after he told a garda he was "flying away" and wouldn't turn up in court.
Declan Donovan (30), Gardiner Street, Dublin, pleaded guilty to offences under Section 15 of the Misuse of Drugs Act on July 17th and had been remanded on High Court bail for sentence on October 30th.
Garda Pat Keegan told Mr Stephen McCann, prosecuting, that Donovan said to him in the course of a conversation outside Dublin District Court on September 26th regarding his pending sentence: "It doesn't matter, anyway, because I'm flying away".
Garda Keegan added that Donovan said "me bird and me brother" were going with him and also pointed to his pocket implying he might have a plane ticket in his possession.
Garda Keegan told Judge Desmond Hogan that he took this to mean that Donovan was fleeing the jurisdiction . Some 10 minutes later Garda Keegan swore under the bail legislation for an arrest warrant for him.
He arrested Donovan the next morning and brought him back to the District Court. The case was sent to the High Court for the following Monday but was eventually sent to the Circuit Criminal when the High Court wasn't sitting.
Garda Keegan said: "I felt I had an obligation to take action in light of what he said to me. I took him seriously and believed he had the motivation, the means and the opportunity to do so." He told Donovan's counsel, Mr Breffini Gordon, that while the accused had complied with all the conditions of his High Court bail he had failed to appear on three occasions in relation to another matter he had running in tandem in the District Court.