A judge has told the widow of a murdered criminal she will be jailed if an unauthorised chalet and mobile home development in west Co Dublin is not removed.
Barrister Chris Hughes, for South Dublin County Council, told Judge John O’Connor in the Circuit Civil Court that Ann Connors, who was married to the late Andy Connors, was in breach of court orders directing her to remove two chalets and four mobile homes from lands known as The Old Ranch on Old School Road in Saggart.
Andy Connors was shot dead in 2014 when a masked man armed with an automatic pistol walked into his home at Boherboy and opened fire in front of his wife.
Mr Hughes, who appeared with Sean O’Shea, law agent for the council, said orders had been made in the Circuit Court directing the removal of the structures and other buildings as well as more than 5,000sq m of hard standing.
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“The orders were upheld on appeal to the High Court and although South Dublin County Council has communicated with Ms Connors since then, no action has been taken by her on foot of the court directions,” Mr Hughes said.
He told Judge O’Connor the council was now applying for the attachment and committal to prison of Ms Connors for contempt of court.
He added that she and another woman, Brigid Wall, had been arrested in Saggart on Sunday night and brought to court on Monday.
Ms Wall, in sworn evidence to the court, said she had nothing to do with the unauthorised development and that there was another Brigid Wall. Allowing her to leave court, Judge O’Connor said she would be held to have been in contempt of court if she turned out to be the person named in the proceedings.
After Mr Hughes said Ms Connors had been served with notice of the court orders, she replied that she knew nothing about them and had not received any documents. She said she would have to tell her family about all of this.
“If these orders are not complied with you will be sent to prison,” Judge O’Connor said.
He put the application relating only to Ms Connors back until early April when, he said, the court expected to be informed of her plans to remove the unauthorised developments.
The court orders require Ms Connors and “her respective servants, agents, licensees or any person acting in connection with her or on her instruction” to remove the unauthorised development. An image of the area sets out the location of 22 caravans.
Written evidence from council staff highlighted there had been many complaints from residents in the area about the development. These related to antisocial behaviour, noise from generators, open-air toilets being used in front of neighbouring homes, and human excrement and toilet paper being dispersed around the area.
