Masked intruder, assaults and escapes all in a day’s work in court

 3rd April 2022

A judge who got hand sanitiser in her eye, a masked intruder who tried to force their way into judicial chambers, and a solicitor who got hit by their client were among the accidents and incidents logged by the Courts Service last year.

The courts recorded almost 100 accidents and incidents in their official log for 2021, with prisoners escaping, jurors falling ill, and a lengthy list of other slips, trips, and falls.

In one incident, a “person wearing a tracksuit and mask” attempted to gain entry to a judge’s chambers at the Four Courts in Dublin.

An account of the incident last April said: “Failed and left the site. Garda station called twice. They did not attend.”

Another attempted judicial attack was also foiled after an “inebriated person” with a broken bottle went looking for a particular judge at Mullingar Courthouse.

“Gardaí arrested the person and took him to the garda station,” said the official log.

Actual assaults were also reported with one solicitor in Limerick “struck in the face” by a person they were representing in May.

Two escapes — one successful, the other unsuccessful — were also logged.

In one case, a prisoner in handcuffs ran out the vehicle gate at the Criminal Courts of Justice but was pursued by two prison warders. They were “caught and brought back to the building” with a formal security report drawn up.

Another prisoner in July made good their escape, however, after they slipped out from a van parking area when a shutter was not fully closed. “They were pursued but not caught,” said the log.

In another case a person became abusive and aggressive during a court sitting, only to be removed from court.

However, that was not the end of the matter as one of their offspring jumped the divisional gate, and also had to be taken from the courthouse. 

Members of the public were not the only ones to become belligerent, with a “duress alarm” activated in one court because a barrister was shouting last October, according to the log.

A coolant leak after a van crashed into a bollard was reported at the Criminal Courts of Justice in Dublin. According to the log, an officer of the Irish Prison Service later slipped on the coolant.

A bomb threat was also made by a person who was putting flags up outside the Criminal Courts last March. Gardaí were notified.

There were also a number of Covid-19 or pandemic restriction-related incidents with one person becoming aggressive after being asked to put on a mask.

“Garda intervened and the person was handcuffed,” said an official note of the event.

In another case, a person — thought to have Covid-19 — had been released from custody and was barred entrance to a custody area to sign their bail bond.

“They then went into the main entrance lobby area to smoke,” said the log. “They were told from a distance to leave the premises and stop smoking.”

Even the use of hand sanitiser was not without risk, with one judge reported to have got some in her eye “by mistake”.

A log of the incident said: “Offered solution from the first aid kit to wash out her eye.”

Other more unusual incidents were also reported with damage to a bench at Drogheda Courthouse after a skateboarder applied wax to it.

“Used the bench for tricks,” noted the official log.

Extensive vandalism at the Four Courts was also reported, with eight panes of glass and one large double-glazed unit broken in what was described as a “malicious” attack. A spitting incident was logged as well when a member of the public spat from a balcony in the Criminal Courts, aiming at security staff below.

According to the Courts Service database, 13 incidents involved staff members, 56 members of the public, and 12 involved property damage.

There was also one incident involving a judge, two involving the Irish Prison Service, one involving a member of the DPP, four involving private security, one garda incident, and five involving prisoners.

A spokesman for the Courts Service said: “The Courts Service has 103 buildings in its nationwide estate. We continuously manage the safety arrangements for all properties, including keeping a register and the reporting of incidents.

“This active management helps us ensure the optimum environment for the health and safety of all persons entering Courts Service buildings. It also helps us comply with our legal responsibilities and to continuously improve our health and safety processes.”