Man proclaiming to be ‘not of your society’ jailed for contempt

A man has been jailed after being found in contempt of High Court orders not to interfere with lands designated as a National Heritage Area (NHA).

Daragh Coyne was committed to Mountjoy prison by Mr Justice Anthony Barr over “flagrant breach” of court orders obtained against him by the National Parks and Wildlife Service.

Despite being given an opportunity by the judge to purge his contempt, Mr Coyne, who denies any wrongdoing, challenged the court several times to prove it had jurisdiction over “I the man, created by God”, adding he was “not of your society”.

The judge jailed Mr Coyne until he purges his contempt and said he would review the case in four weeks.

The service claimed Mr Coyne, of Coralstown, Mullingar, Co Westmeath, has engaged in activities that have damaged Milltownpass Bog, in Co Westmeath, a designated NHA for several years.

The Minister for Culture Heritage and the Gaeltacht, who is responsible for the service, previously obtained injunctions preventing Mr Coyne carrying out any unauthorised works on or interfering with the NHA. It claimed Mr Coyne has not complied with either that order, made last April, or a subsequent order requiring him to remove a gate erected by him on an old turf cutters track located on the Minister’s lands.

The lands where the activities are alleged to have occurred are owned by the Minister and by a member of Mr Coyne’s family.

Mr Coyne, who was not legally represented, was arrested by gardaí on foot of an order granted by the court last week and brought before the court on Wednesday. The matter was adjourned for 24 hours to allow Mr Coyne produce documents responding to the allegations.

When the case resumed on Thursday, Mr Coyne demanded several times that the judge outline what jurisdiction the court had over him.

At one point, Mr Coyne said his business here was done and attempted to leave the courtroom but was prevented from doing so by gardaí, at the direction of the judge.

Mr Coyne repeatedly told the judge he objected to being called Mr Coyne and asked to be called “Daragh”.

Mr Justice Barr said he would address him by his formal title of “Mr Coyne,” or the “defendant”. After finding Mr Coyne was in contempt, the judge offered him an opportunity to give a sworn undertaking to comply with the orders or face being committed to prison.

Mr Coyne continued to question the court’s jurisdiction over him.

Mr Justice Barr, citing the jurisdiction given to the court under the Constitution to deal with motions of contempt, committed Mr Coyne to Mountjoy prison until he is prepared to purge his contempt.

The court previously heard waste material including scrap metal and fuel have been dumped, and turf had been illegally cut, on the lands at the centre of the dispute.

In sworn statements, two park rangers said, following an inspection of lands within the NHA, they found piles containing material including gardening waste containing “cherry laurel”, a highly invasive species, and scrap metal.

They also found several large unsealed heavy duty plastic oil tanks on the lands. The rangers also said they were concerned turf would be extracted from the NHA, as they had seen turf cutting equipment stored close to where the material had been dumped. Peat extraction from the bog was banned in 2017, the court heard.