Armed gardaí take action to end Cork house siege

A 28-year-old man has been remanded in custody after armed gardaí smashed down the door of a house during a siege situation in Cork city early yesterday morning.

Bernard Ring of Kilbarry Place, Farranree, Cork, was brought before Cork District Court where he was charged with three offences relating to the stand-off at St Mary's Avenue, Gurranebraher in Cork city .

Det Garda Malcolm Walsh gave evidence of arrest charge and caution in relation to Mr Ring. He charged him with three offences, namely producing a dumbbell, producing a mirror and producing a gas cylinder all the in the course of a false imprisonment.

Det Garda Walsh said the prosecution was opposed to bail being granted to the accused because of the seriousness of the charges arising out of alleged incident at the house .

“It is alleged that he held his mother and her partner hostage at St Mary’s Avenue and that the front door was barricaded. It is alleged that he made threats that he was not going to be taken alive,” Det Garda Walsh told the court.

“A decision was made for armed gardaí­ to search the residence. He stood at the top of the stairs and refused to comply with Garda directions to come down and he is alleged to have thrown a gas cylinder on top of a member of the armed unit,” he said.

“His mother appeared and she had blood stains and cuts to her head. She said her partner had been badly assaulted. He threatened to throw a 25kg dumbbell down on top of gardaí. It is alleged he threw a glass mirror on top of gardaí­.”

Bail conditions

Taser and pepper spray were used in the arrest of Mr Ring who was taken to Mayfield Garda station for questioning about the incident before he was brought before Cork District Court for the purpose of charge, said Det Garda Walsh.

Mr Ring told his solicitor, Diarmuid Kelleher, that he would definitely show up to face trial and would adhere to any bail conditions. But Insp Ronan Kenneally said the allegations were too serious and the gardaí­were concerned Mr Ring would return to the house if granted bail.

Judge Olann Kelleher said: "There is a constitutional right to bail in normal circumstances but these were not normal circumstances." The judge refused bail and remanded the accused in custody to appear again in court on September 22nd.

Meanwhile, gardaí were last night continuing to question a second man (26) who was also arrested at the scene of the siege at St Mary’s Avenue. He was arrested under section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act and was being held at Mayfield Garda station.