A 65-year-old Dublin nightclub owner has denied in court that he had any association with paramilitaries in the INLA.
Counsel for Chariot Inns and Night Owls disco owner Mr Des Wooton told the Circuit Court there was "absolutely no substance" to that belief. Mr James Salafia SC said Judge Desmond Windle, in refusing a dance licence application, seemed to have formed the view that Mr Wooton was in some way associated with the INLA, which was an extreme group.
He told Judge Jacqueline Linnane that Mr Wooton had employed a Dun Laoghaire firm, Halcyon Security, to help him monitor admission to the Night Owls disco. "Not too long after that he was informed by the gardai that Halcyon had or were employing former members of the INLA."
Counsel said Mr Wooton had immediately contacted Halcyon, which told him this was not the first time this had occurred, but that it understood his problem. He told the court that Halcyon had asked Mr Wooton for money in lieu of a week's notice to the men and Mr Wooton had immediately dispatched a cheque to the company. "To his enormous relief, that was the end of that matter", Mr Salafia said.
State solicitor Mr Seamus Cassidy told the court that at no point would the gardai be making any allegation that Mr Wooton was a member of any illegal organisation.
Mr Wooton and his company have appealed the refusal of Judge Windle in the District Court to grant him a renewal of his public dance, music and singing licence.
Mr Salafia told the court that Mr Wooton had lost his dance licence in 1999 as a result of objections by the gardai and local residents' groups following a number of incidents which had taken place in the street near the Ranelagh premises. He said gardai had supplied Mr Wooton's solicitors with a list of 20 incidents alleging the sale and supply of drugs, assaults on gardai, refusal to allow them entry to inspect the premises and disorderly conduct in the vicinity of the premises.
Counsel said Mr Wooton had renovated the family-run premises and had spent £1.5 million in renovations prior to his licence application. At no time had the gardai warned him that they were going to object to his application.
The appeal is expected to last several days.