Man alleged to have breached orders not to interfere with bog

A man alleged to have breached orders not to interfere with lands designated as a National Heritage Area (NHA) has appeared before the High Court following his arrest by gardaí.

Daragh Coyne appeared before Mr Justice Anthony Barr on Wednesday over allegations he is in contempt of court orders obtained against him by the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS).

It claims Mr Coyne, of Coralstown, Mullingar, Co Westmeath, has engaged in activities that have damaged Milltownpass Bog in Co Westmeath, a designated NHA.

The Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, who is responsible for the service, previously obtained injunctions preventing Mr Coyne carrying out any unauthorised works on or interfering with the NHA.

It is claimed he has not complied with either that order, made last April, or a subsequent order requiring him to remove a gate erected by him on an old turf-cutters’ track, located on the Minister’s lands.

The lands where the illegal activities are alleged to have occurred are owned by both the Minister and by a member of Mr Coyne’s family, the court heard.

Mr Coyne, who is not legally represented, was brought before the court by gardaí on foot of an order granted by the court last week.

Mr Coyne said he has done absolutely nothing wrong. He said he was "kidnapped" and taken from a machine in his yard by gardaí to a Garda barracks before being brought to the Four Courts.

He told the judge several times he objected to being called Mr Coyne and asked the judge to call him “Daragh”.

Mr Justice Barr said, for the purpose of the hearing, he would address the defendant as “Mr Coyne”.

Mr Coyne said he had sent documents outlining his case to the court’s offices but the judge said there was no record of material ever being received.

In the circumstances, the judge adjourned the matter to Thursday so Mr Coyne can obtain copies of the documents setting out his position.

The judge directed gardaí to return Mr Coyne to his home and to bring him back to court on Thursday. If, for any reason, Mr Coyne did not return, the contempt hearing would proceed in his absence, the judge said.

Mr Coyne said he will be in court on Thursday.

James O’Donnell BL, for the NPWS, said it did not want to see anyone jailed but was left with no alternative due to Mr Coyne’s failure to engage with it.

The court was previously told that waste material, including scrap metal and fuel, have been dumped, and turf was illegally cut, on the lands at the centre of the dispute.

In sworn statements, two Park Rangers said they found piles containing material ranging from gardening waste with ‘cherry laurel’, which is an highly invasive species, to scrap metal.

They also found several large unsealed heavy duty plastic oil tanks on the lands.

This activity had damaged the NHA, they said. Mr Coyne, they also said, had denied dumping the material on the site.

The Rangers also expressed concern turf would be extracted from the NHA, as they had seen turf-cutting equipment stored close to where material had been dumped.

While Mr Coyne said he was not using the equipment, the Rangers said he had last year engaged a contractor to cut turf on the NHA and they were concerned he would cut turf on the lands again in 2020.

Peat extraction from the bog was banned in 2017, the court heard.