The son of a newly-elected Sinn Fein member of Cork Corporation was threatened by two men armed with a meat cleaver last week over his father's involvement in anti-drugs activity, it was claimed yesterday.
Two masked men jumped from a car, set upon Mr Don O'Leary jnr (19) on Commons Road in Cork, put a meat cleaver to his throat and warned him about the anti-drug activities of his father, Cork Circuit Court was told.
"They said that if his father didn't stop what he was doing, his son would be done in," said barrister Mr Padraig Cullinane during an application by Cork woman Ms Helen Heaphy to obtain an injunction permanently banning anti-drugs pickets from her house.
A mother of seven, Mrs Heaphy - whose husband, John, is a convicted drug dealer - had obtained an interim injunction last week preventing 43 named residents and members of Coalition of Communities Against Drugs from mounting the pickets.
She claimed she and her family were being intimidated and harassed at their home at Rathpeacon Road, Farranree, Cork by residents and members of COCAD who began nightly demonstrations at her Cork Corporation home over two weeks ago.
Mrs Heaphy is currently taking a High Court action against the constitutionality of legislation used by Cork Corporation to obtain an eviction order against her on the basis of anti-social activity being carried out at the house.
That order, granted in Cork District Court and upheld on appeal in Cork Circuit Court, followed Garda evidence that Mrs Heaphy's house was "a virtual supermarket for drugs" and Mrs Heaphy was aware of drug dealing going on there.
Yesterday, Mrs Heaphy said in an affidavit that she was intimidated during the pickets mounted by residents and COCAD. Her barrister, Mr John Devlin, said two men had burst into her home and put a gun to her daughter's head. Mr Devlin said the residents had breached an interim injunction by marching up and down outside Mrs Heaphy's house. He described the protesters as "an unruly mob", using pickets and loud-hailers from 7 p.m. to 8.30 p.m. every night.
But residents' barrister Mr Cullinane said the interim injunction was granted without knowledge of the full facts.
"Her affidavit failed to point out that this house is home to a convicted drug dealer and drugs supplier and that it is a base for the dissemination of drugs across the northside of Cork city," said Mr Cullinane. Neighbours' lives had become a living hell because of the activities of the Heaphys at the terraced house, he said, adding that residents had been subjected to intimidation and threats as a result of their protests.
He said John Heaphy and an associate had threatened to kill two neighbours involved in the anti-drugs protest. They had threatened to shoot one man and they had threatened to cut the throat of another and burn down his house.
The residents had respected the interim injunction by moving away from directly in front of Mrs Heaphy's home, he argued. They had maintained the protest at either end of the roadway.
Judge Patrick Moran said he was very concerned that a court order was being breached by the protesting residents. Mrs Heaphy and her children were entitled to use of their home without being subjected to intimidation or harassment.
He accepted that the residents were decent, hard-working people concerned about their children and the dangers of drugs but combating the drugs menace was a matter for the Garda.
He upheld the original injunction preventing the residents from harassing or intimidating Mrs Heaphy or her family and he ordered them not to protest outside her house or the adjoining five houses on either side at Rathpeacon Road.
"No more of this nonsense at Rathpeacon Road - let the gardai deal with it - they shouldn't take the law into their own hands," said Judge Moran, adding that court orders must be respected or the entire system would collapse.
Mrs Heaphy declined to comment on the court order but residents and members of COCAD claimed the decision was a victory as it effectively allows them to continue their protest five doors away from the Heaphys' home.
"We're very happy with the outcome - this result is a very good vindication of what we've done. It proves the people of Rathpeacon Road have a right to protect their children and a right to continue with the protest," said Councillor Don O'Leary.