The wife of a Limerick city councillor has brought summonses alleging harassment and sexual assault against a Garda inspector.
Ms Majella Kelly, whose husband, Michael, is an alderman of Limerick City Council, denied at a special sitting of Limerick District Court yesterday that the summonses were an attempt to intimidate the officer.
She claimed Insp Jim Browne, of Roxboro Garda station, fondled her breast while he was interviewing her in the station on August 27th, 2001. The interview arose from an alleged assault on Ms Kelly by her husband. Ms Kelly, a mother of three who worked as a secretary at her husband's security company, M&A Kelly, alleged that while she was sitting at a desk in the station, the inspector put his hand on her breast from behind and said she could do better than her husband.
She was terrified, she said, and asked him what he thought he was doing while taking his hand and throwing it aside.
She said she had received between 20 and 25 phone calls from Insp Browne in which he asked her whether she had life assurance. That had made her nervous because she thought they might want to get rid of her and blame it on her husband.
Sunday World crime reporter Paul Williams said he had been subpoenaed as a witness by the prosecution.
Mr Brendan Nix SC, for Insp Browne, asked Ms Kelly about a taped interview she had with Mr Williams four days after the alleged assault in which she said Insp Browne had not intimidated her into making a statement alleging her husband assaulted her on August 26th.
On the tape, she asked why Insp Browne "should fall in for it" because the Kelly family thought they could intimidate her.
Mr Nix said Ms Kelly had been concerned Insp Browne would fall in for blame. He asked her what she thought was going to happen to him. She did not think anything was going to happen to him, she said. On the tape, Ms Kelly said she "wanted out" of the marriage. She said she was over 35 and had been beaten since she was 15.
Ald Kelly said he gave his wife "a life of hell" until 1985 when he gave up alcohol.
He said that last August 26th, when his wife was collecting possessions from the family home, she became emotional and distressed, throwing objects around the room. He gave her a slap to control her.
The case continues before Judge Peter Smithwick today.