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Two men have been placed in pre-trial detention for failing to comply with High Court orders to stay away from a Co Roscommon farm, which was the scene of a controversial eviction in 2018.
Judge Leonie Reynolds heard that both Michael Anthony McGann, owner of the property, and retired Garda Kevin Taylor, of Dublin Road, Longford, were in contempt of orders requiring them to vacate the property in Falsk, Strokestown, Co Roscommon.
Both men were arrested, Mr. Taylor at their home in Longford, and Mr. McGann at the property, this morning by Gardaí before being taken to Superior Court.
Demanding their arrest at Cloverhill Prison in Dublin, the judge, who urged both of them to obtain legal advice, said she will decide what to do with them tomorrow.
The affair has lasted for some time, requiring the use of “valuable resources from the garda,” the judge said.
The court wanted to make things final and would take up the contempt proceedings tomorrow via video link.
KBC Bank, which previously obtained a court order granting it vacant possession of the estate, said the men had refused to comply with court orders ordering them to leave the property.
Keith Rooney, an attorney for KBC, said that despite his commitment in court to vacate the property, Mr. McGann had, in fact, returned and made statements on social media that he would not leave the property.
The lawyer said he was in “flagrant breach of court orders.”
Mr. Taylor had been present at the farm and learned of the court’s orders to evict it, the lawyer told the judge. It was part of “a coordinated attempt to thwart court orders.”
In response, McGann said he believed the original court order obtained by KBC last year was based on fraud that he said he could prove.
He said he had provided the court with that evidence and claimed there was “a cover-up.” He also told the judge that he would not receive legal advice on the matter, adding that the compromise had been made under duress.
Judge Reynolds said the “ship had sailed” in regards to contesting the original order requiring the property to be vacated.
She said McGann, after obtaining legal advice, vowed last month to vacate the property.
That commitment had been breached, which, according to the judge, was a very serious matter.
At first, Taylor asked the court “what they were looking for”: Kevin Taylor, the “common man,” or Kevin Taylor, the “legal entity.” He said he had been “kidnapped” and taken to court.
Taylor also asked if there were “any men in court” who could say he had done something wrong. He then tried to leave the courtroom, but Gardaí stopped him.
Judge Reynolds, who criticized Mr. Taylor for not wearing a mask in court, told him that “they are all the same person.”
She sent him to prison overnight and urged him to seek legal advice.
The farm at the center of the long-running action has been the subject of proceedings involving brothers Michael Anthony, David and Geraldine McGann, and KBC Bank, which obtained warrants allowing it to repossess the property.
In October, the brothers appeared in court, following their arrest, for not having left the property.
They were released after agreeing to go out and get their livestock off the farm.
However, KBC returned to court claiming that it was unable to secure possession of the property due to the presence of several people on the farm.
KBC obtained a possession order for the estate several years ago as a result of a € 431,000 debt on the property from a loan to its registered owner Michael Anthony McGann.
The McGanns were evicted in 2018, but the home was later the scene of an attack on the security men employed to secure it.
The security men were forced to leave the property by a group of masked men and several vehicles were burned.
The McGanns, who were not involved in the incidents, returned to the home. That resulted in KBC seeking and obtaining a court order against him last March.
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