An EU national from Romania in his late twenties, appeared before Monday’s sitting of Monaghan District Court charged with offences under the Firearms and Offensive Weapons Act, 1990, relating to possession of a knife in a public place and an offence under the Public Order Act . The court heard that David Covaciu, who has been living in Carrickmacross for a considerable number of years, was seen wielding a knife in a threatening manner on Main Street, Carrickmacross on Sunday and that the incident was captured by mobile phone footage widely circulated on social media, a number of witnesses were present too. Contrary to social media speculation, Gardaí were there immediately and the weapon was seized.
The defendant was held in custody overnight, ahead of his court appearance. Garda Barry Sheehy, who arrested the man, cited a number of reasons why the defendant should be refused bail, including the seriousness of the charge, the nature of the incident and the fact that he was caught red- handed. Judge Raymond Finnegan refused bail and remanded the defendant in custody to appear at Cavan District Court via video link, today, Thursday, 1 May and a file is being sent to the DPP.
