GARDAI are hopeful of tracing the threatening telephone calls made to the home of the judge hearing a Co Galway court case in which 34 members of one travelling family are facing riot and affray charges.
Twenty four hour Garda protection has been placed on the home of Judge John Neilan after he received telephoned threats at his home in Roscommon.
Judge Neilan revealed on Wednesday that calls were made to his house throughout the previous night on an hourly and then quarter hourly basis.
Gardai are in contact with the telephone companies and hope to be able to trace the origin of the calls. The culprits could face serious charges including contempt and intimidation.
In the Tuam riot case, some 35 members of the extended Ward family have been before the court on charges relating to an attack on the home of the McDonagh family, at Weir Road, Roscommon, in June last year.
The assault on the house, following a dispute at a funeral, led to two days of affray in the town with dozens of people injured. Weapons used in the violence included slash hooks, hatchets, iron bars and knuckle dusters.
The case has led to fraught scenes in the courtroom particularly when members of the McDonagh family were called to give evidence about the assault on their home.
However, tension surrounding the case subsided yesterday after a decision to remove members of the McDonagh family from the court while their relatives were giving evidence.