Man charged over Cork petrol bomb attack

A 33-year-old man has been remanded in custody with consent to bail after he was charged with a series of offences following a petrol bomb attack on a family in Co Cork on Monday.

Gareth Hill denied that he was involved in a feud when he applied for bail on the five charges after being brought before Judge Leo Malone at Cork District Court today.

Mr Hill of The View, Gleann na Rí, Tower, Blarney was charged with assault causing harm to Breda O’Connell at Soho Bar, the Grand Parade, Cork on February 17th.

He was also charged with later threatening to kill Ms O’Connell and her two daughters, Celine O’Callaghan and Laura O’Callaghan at Woodfield Lawn, Blarney on February 17th.

And he was also charged with endangerment of the three women at the same address but at a later time on February 17th when a petrol bomb was thrown at their apartment.

Det Garda John O’Connell gave evidence of arrest, charge and caution and told the court that Mr Hill made no reply to any of the five charges when he put them to him after caution.

Insp Eileen Foster said gardaí were objecting to bail and Det Garda O’Connell said that they were basing their objections on a number of factors including the seriousness of the charges.

They were also opposing bail on the grounds that they feared that Mr Hill would interfere with the alleged injured parties and a number of other witnesses in the case if granted bail.

Mr Hill took the witness stand to say that he would be strongly denying all charges when the matter comes to trial and that he was not involved in any feud in the Blarney area.

He told his solicitor, Frank Buttimer that he had only a passing acquaintance with the complainants in the case and had never been involved in any arguments with them.

Judge Leo Malone said he would remand Mr Hill in custody with consent to bail on his own bond of €1,000 and an independent surety of €2,000 to appear again on February 26th

He would also impose strict conditions including that he would stay away from Woodfield Lawn in Blarney and have no contact with the complainants or three other named witnesses.

He also made it a condition of Mr Hill’s bail that he would reside at his address at Gleann Na Rí, abide by a 9pm to 8am curfew and sign on daily at Gurranebraher Garda Station.