A JOBLESS father-of-two has been accused of
attacking a priest during a break-in, leaving him with a fractured skull
and bleeding to his brain.
Shane Cooney (23) was refused bail at Dublin District Court after
he was charged with seriously assaulting Fr Diarmuid Byrne (69) at the
priest's house in Dublin.
Fr Byrne was discovered lying on the
floor in the early hours of Wednesday morning and was rushed to St
James's Hospital, where he was being treated last night.
Judge Cormac
Dunne remanded Mr Cooney in custody after the court was told the accused
was alleged to have been found near the scene with Fr Byrne's blood on
his clothes.
The accused, with an address at Lismore Road,
Crumlin, Dublin, is charged with burglary and assault causing harm at St
Anthony's Road, Rialto, on October 16.
Detective Sgt Brian Hoey
told the court that Mr Cooney made no reply to either charge after he
was cautioned at Kilmainham garda station. Det Sgt Hoey also objected
to bail.
It was alleged that Mr Cooney attacked Fr Byrne, pushing him back into his bedroom and assaulting him on the ground.
Fr
Byrne was later taken to St James's Hospital, where he was diagnosed
with a fractured skull and bleeding on his brain. He received 26
stitches to the wound.
Asked by Judge Dunne how the assault was
alleged to have been carried out, Det Sgt Hoey said gardai were unsure
if any weapon was used.
BLOOD
The court
heard the accused was arrested shortly afterwards close to the scene.
It
was discovered that the suspect's tracksuit bottoms and runners had
blood on them and these were seized.
A footprint was also found at
the scene which was very similar in pattern to the sole of the
accused's runners, Sgt Hoey said.
The prosecution case would be that
forensic and DNA tests carried out on blood found on the accused's
clothing matched Fr Byrne's blood.
The defendant is unemployed and
Sgt Hoey believed he would offend if granted bail.
The court heard the
maximum sentence on conviction for burglary was 14 years and five years
for the assault charge.
Applying for bail, defence solicitor
Michael Kelleher said the accused had not been arrested at the scene,
there were no eyewitnesses placing him there and he had made no
admissions in custody.
Mr Kelleher said the details of
the forensic tests were hearsay evidence.
Sgt Hoey said a garda forensic witness was not available to come to court.
Sgt Hoey said a garda forensic witness was not available to come to court.
Judge
Dunne, however, commended the gardai on their speed in obtaining the
DNA results. He said it was a "clear case" for the refusal of bail and
remanded the accused in custody, to appear in Cloverhill District Court
on October 23.
Cooney, wearing a wine-coloured Ralph Lauren top and black tracksuit bottoms, did not address the court during the hearing.