AN ENNISKILLEN man accused of falsely imprisoning, assaulting and threatening a vulnerable woman with a meat cleaver in her home during hour-long ordeal has been denied compassionate bail to meet his newborn son.
Blaine Duffy (26) of Drumbawn Close is charged with a range of offences in relation to an incident in the Kilmacormick Road and Drumbawn area of the town. The charges against him include false imprisonment, common assault, aggravated burglary and attempting to inflict GBH, threats to kill, eight counts of criminal damage, and assault on police.
Having received a report that Duffy and another suspect had been trying to damage two cars in the area at around 8.10 on February 5, police then received a call from a home help carer at around 8.30pm that evening who said two men were in her client’s home.
When police arrived and spoke to the woman whose home it was she was very upset and shaken, and told officer “they’ll come back and kill me.” The woman said Duffy, who she knew, had come into her home, brandished what she thought was a knife but which the charge sheet lists as a meat cleaver, assaulted her, and tried to force her to hand over her car keys, which she refused.
The woman said Duffy held the knife to her throat and had dragged her to to her living room and told her to “sit down and shut up.” She said he assaulted her, and told her “I’ll f**king kill you” during the incident, which she said lasted around an hour until her home help arrived.
When police arrived they found Duffy hiding in a bedroom in a house across the road. When they tried to arrest him he became aggressive, lashing out and struggling.
Police had to put hand cuffs and leg restraints on Duffy and carry him out of the house. He was brought to hospital via ambulance, and continued to lash out, damaging the police handcuffs. He continued to be aggressive when they arrived at the hospital, assaulting a female police officer.
At the Enniskillen Magistrates Court video link on Monday Duffy, who had over 40 previous convictions, applied to be let out of prison, where he is on remand, for several hours to meet his six-week-old son for the first time. His solicitor David McKeown said he would have to isolate for 14 days when returning to the prison, but was prepared to do so to meet his first born child.
Police cited several concerns about Duffy being let out on bail, even for a few hours, including potential witness interference.
Judge John Meehan refused the application, stating while the court recognised “the right to family life” in this case the baby was only six weeks old, had never met Duffy, and would not know if he was there or not at such a young age. He said the application for compassionate bail was for Duffy’s own emotional benefit, and there was no evidence before the court that it would be for the benefit of the child or its mother.
Judge Meehan said that without information on the mother’s opinion on the matter, or from social services, he could not approve the application.
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