The defendant, Finbar Manning, was subsequently kept in custody at Castlerea Prison.
Mr Manning, who appeared at the sitting via video link from prison, was in court awaiting DPP directions on a raft of charges arising from the period of Saturday, July 25 until Monday, July 27, during which time he was in custody at Cavan Garda Station.
Over that weekend, a total of eight officers from the Armed Response Unit had to be assigned on rotation to protect the defendant, others and state property from himself.
When the 44-year-old was brought to the first sitting of Cavan District Court after his violent spree, he was accompanied by two armed gardaí in full riot gear. He himself appeared with a bandage to his forehead and cuts to the bridge of his nose.
Finbar Manning of no fixed abode had been charged with 14 separate offences including threatening to “break every window” in his former partner’s home on July 25 to spreading faeces on his cell mattress after he was arrested and taken to Cavan Garda Station on the same date.
He is also charged with smearing his faeces on his cell wall, the cell he was moved to next door, and then again on the first cell where he was held.
Mr Manning is further charged with smashing a window at Cavan Garda Station by ramming his head through it and smearing his faeces and blood on five garda uniforms, some of which were worn by gardaí at the time.
When he was brought to Cavan General Hospital for psychiatric assessment it is alleged Manning proceeded to urinate on the hospital floor, engaging in threatening or abusive words or behaviour, and three counts of resisting arrest.
Manning was granted bail subject to very strict conditions including providing a suitable bail address and payment of an independent surety of €2,500. However, when he couldn’t meet the bail terms, he was taken into custody at Castlerea Prison.
BACK IN COURT
When he appeared in court again on August 28, it was to receive DPP directions. As sitting Judge Mary McAveety tried to explain she could remand the defendant to a further two or four weeks in custody on his consent, Mr Manning told her he was getting bail.
“Fr Tom McKiernan is in court to bail me out,” the defendant said but there was no priest in court.
When he was called over the tannoy, Fr McKiernan came to courtroom number one and confirmed he was there to assist Finbar Manning with his bail application.
However, when Sergeant Damien Galligan explained that he was nominated as Manning’s independent surety and would therefore have to pay €2,500 into the court, the priest said he wasn’t aware of that condition.
“I’ve explained the €2,500 and he’s skeptical,” Sgt Galligan said of a conversation he had with Fr McKiernan at the side of the courtroom.
The sergeant then applied to have Manning remanded for a further week.
Finbar Manning tried to argue that presiding judge at Cavan District Court, Raymond Finnegan, had told him he could be bailed on €500 but Judge McAveety was decisive in her response.
“No, the note on your court file is very clear,” she told Manning, “In any case, I’m going to remand you in custody for one week for you or Fr Tom to sort an independent surety or to give you time to get someone else to act as independent surety.”