A CAVAN man who says he fears for the safety of his family if a building society does not let him withdraw from the purchase of a public house had an application for an injunction against him adjourned in the High Court yesterday.
Mr Liam Bouchier, a businessman from Arva, Co Cavan, purchased the Three County Inn at auction on November 22nd.
He claims that a "vicious campaign of intimidation", which culminated in a shooting attack at his home in January, is linked to the purchase.
An interim injunction was granted to the Irish Nationwide Building society restraining Mr Bouchier from "watching or besetting or trespassing" on its office in Arva after he placed a picket there for two hours last Wednesday.
Mr Bouchier told The Irish Times the picket was a "last ditch attempt" to be released from his obligation to purchase the pub, which he claims is directly linked to the intimidation to which he and his family have been subjected.
He says he received verbal threats and that the tyres on two trailers and a truck belonging to him were slashed.
However the most serious incident occurred on January 10th when shots were fired at his house in Arva, where he lives, with his wife, Sile, and two children aged 10 and 13.
Afterwards, an anonymous telephone call was received at the home with the caller asking: "Did you get the message?" and telling Mr Bouchier "it's about the pub".
Mr Bouchier then pleaded with the society to allow him to withdraw from the purchase of the pub in the interest of the "life, health and safety" of his family.
It initially responded by stating that if Mr Bouchier withdrew from the sale, it would involve the provisions of general condition 41 of the contract.
Mr Bouchier would then have forfeited his £7,000 deposit and become liable for any loss incurred by the society trying to complete the purchase.
Mr Bouchier has met the society in Dublin to renew his appeal and offered to forfeit his deposit but only as a "full and final settlement". The offer was turned down and Mr Bouchier has been given until April 11th to close the sale.
"I have got the building society on one side and a maniac holding a shotgun on the other," he said.
The Garda has confirmed the link between the intimidation and the purchase of the public house but refused to speculate on the precise motive for the attacks. "We are convinced that there is a link and are investigating the matter vigorously," said a source.