Courts / Dublin / Report
Ex-Sinn Féin Councillor and father to spend Christmas in custody
Summary
Jonathan Dowdall (38) and his father Patrick Dowdall (59) are awaiting trial for charges of falsely imprisoning, assaulting and threatening to kill Alexander Hurley on 15 January last year. They also face charges of possessing a sawn‑off shotgun and a handgun with intent to imprison Hurley. Both men applied for bail at the Central Criminal Court, but the court, citing Section 2A of the Bail Act, refused bail to prevent a serious offence. The Dowdalls offered to accept electronic tagging and other conditions. Judge Paul Coffey noted that such measures could reduce risk and adjourned the matter to the new year to explore tagging. Both men remain in custody until 13 January. The case is set for trial next May.
Who, what, where, when and why
What: Report matter: Ex-Sinn Féin Councillor and father to spend Christmas in custody. Charges or matters: falsely imprisoning Alexander Hurley by detaining him without his consent at Navan Road on January 15th last year; threatening to kill Mr Hurley and of assaulting the man, causing him harm, on the same occasion. Procedural stage: charge_or_pretrial
When:
- January 15th Incident
- new year Other
- 2016-12-21 Publication
Why: He explained that there was no need to worry about him sailing away on his boat; he had to sell it to help his son pay off his mortgage while they were in custody. CNI source report
Case subjects
Accused
Charges: falsely imprisoning Alexander Hurley by detaining him without his consent at Navan Road on January 15th last year; threatening to kill Mr Hurley and of assaulting the man, causing him harm, on the same occasion (Alleged Or Contested)
Outcome: He remanded both in custody until the 13th of January.
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