A 26-year-old labourer who is charged with the murder of Connemara schoolgirl, Siobhan Hynes, applied to the High Court in Dublin yesterday to have the terms of his bail varied.
Mr John McDonagh, with an address at The Demesne, Keeraunbeg, Carraroe, Co Galway, also faces a second serious charge in relation to the murder of Ms Hynes which occurred on December 6th, 1998, at Keeraunbeg, Carraroe. He was due to appear before Galway District Court yesterday where the DPP sought to have his bail revoked.
A State solicitor, Mr William Kennedy, told the court that Mr McDonagh had been returned for trial on the murder charge, when he appeared before Galway District Court on February 16th last.
Within the last few weeks the DPP had learned that he was in breach of two of his bail conditions and felt it was a matter for the District Court to have the bail revoked.
Mr McDonagh had stopped signing on daily at Mountjoy Garda station and no longer lived at an address at Whitworth Road, Drumcondra, Dublin, in accordance with the terms of his bail. It was later learned that he had been sleeping rough in a car when he was arrested for soliciting a prostitute in Dublin recently.
Mr Kennedy told the court that Mr McDonagh was applying to the High Court in Dublin to have the terms of the bail varied. He said it had been agreed with Mr McDonagh's solicitor, Mr Sean O'Carroll, that the application by the State to have his bail revoked would not be dealt with until a High Court decision was taken.
He then asked to have the application adjourned until September 11th, and this was agreed by Judge Michael Connellan.