Man scaled up apartment block after row with girlfriend, court hears
A man scaled an apartment block and then smashed a window to get into his apartment after a row with his girlfriend.
Sean Deery had gone to the pub after a row with his girlfriend during which she moved out of their home.
When he arrived home he found he was locked out and a new tenant had moved into the apartment.
Deery, 29, burst into the apartment through the window, pushed the new resident out the door and then locked himself in before gardaí arrived.
Deery appeared at Letterkenny District Court in Co Donegal charged with trespassing and causing criminal damage.
Landlord of Robinson Hall in Letterkenny, Mr Manus McGroddy, said he had been contacted by the father of Samantha Carr, Deery's girlfriend, saying she was in fear of him.
He had travelled from his home in Wexford to take her back and Ms Carr handed over the only set of keys to the flat to Mr McGroddy.
However, when Deery returned he flipped out to find himself locked out and scaled to the first floor of the apartment just before midnight on August 5 last.
He found another tenant, Mr Alexander Neill sitting in his boxer shorts drinking coffee in the apartment.
After an argument, he pushed him out the door and locked himself into the apartment as the gardaí arrived.
Deery eventually came out and was arrested and taken to Letterkenny Garda station.
Mr Neill said he was very frightened by what had happened especially when Deery burst through the window during the night.
Solicitor for Deery, Mr Patsy Gallagher, said his client admitted breaking into the apartment but produced a letter from the Department of Social Protection signed by all three parties including Deery, Ms Carr and Mr McGroddy.
After listening to the evidence, Judge Paul Kelly said he was satisfied that there was a lease in existence and that Mr McGroddy had no right to terminate the lease on behalf of Deery and dismissed the charge of trespassing.
However, he did find him guilty of causing €953.40 of damage to the apartment block by smashing the window and pulling out the window frame.
"He cannot take the law into his own hands or damage property," said Judge Kelly.
He fined him €50 and ordered him to pay €840 in compensation.
