Man charged with threatening to kill Taoiseach on social media released on bail

A 48-year old Connemara man charged with issuing a threat on social media to kill or cause serious harm to Taoiseach Simon Harris and his family has been released on bail.

Patrick Grealish, of Garrai an Choirce, Lettermullen, Co Galway, appeared before Judge Gerard Furlong at a special sitting of Galway District Court this afternoon.

Mr Grealish is accused of making a threat to kill or cause harm to Mr Harris and his family on August 4th this year.

The court was told that the offence under Section 5 of the Non-Fatal Offences Against the Person Act, 1997, carries a sentence of up to 10 years on conviction.

Detective Sergeant Eamonn O’Neill of the Special Detective Unit said that he arrested Mr Grealish on Sunday and charged him at Galway Regional Garda Headquarters. When invited to reply to the charge, Mr Grealish said “no thanks”.

Det Sgt. O’Neill objected to bail on a number of counts, including the serious nature of the offence, that it related to a member of Government, and that the alleged offence of threatening to kill or cause serious harm was being taken “very seriously”.

Det Sgt. O’Neill said that they would say Mr Grealish was caught “red-handed” with the device allegedly used to post the offending message.

Under cross-examination from defence solicitor Michael Cunningham, Det Sgt O’Neill accepted that Mr Grealish had been co-operative since his arrest on Sunday. The defence solicitor said his client was the sole carer for his elderly mother and that Mr Grealish had his own health issues.

Mr Grealish, who is on social welfare and was granted free legal aid, spoke briefly during the 17-minute hearing.

He told Judge Furlong that he would abide by any bail conditions “100%” and would stay off all social media.

Grealish undertook to have no contact with the injured party, including online; to surrender his passport and not apply for new travel documents; to reside at his home; to be of good behaviour at all times; to provide gardaí with a contactable phone number; to observe a curfew between 11pm and 7am, and to appear at all court sittings in relation to this matter.

Judge Furlong warned Grealish that all of these conditions were strict. “You will be jeopardising your liberty if there is any breach.”

Judge Furlong set bail at €500, commensurate with the defendant’s means, “and in no way detracting from the seriousness of the charge alleged”.

He remanded Mr Grealish on bail to appear before a sitting of Derrynea District Court in Connemara on September 17th.