The couple at the centre of a 20-year legal battle over a house they built without planning permission, have given undertakings to the High Court agreeing to fully cooperate with Meath County Council and with gardaí in relation to demolition works on the site.
A lawyer for Rose and Chris Michael Murray told the court the couple had nothing to do with allegations of threats to sub-contractors working on the demolition.
They were arrested in court this morning, after being found to be in contempt of court for failing to vacate the property by September 2022. But the contempt proceedings were discharged following the undertakings given by the couple.
The court was told the house has now been demolished but ongoing works were needed to return the land to its original condition.
Detective Sergeant Mark Looby gave evidence that a haulier who was a sub-contractor at the site, received a threatening phone call on 20 March.
The court was told the call came from a man with a "northern Irish accent" advising him not to have anything to do with taking rubble away from the site. The court heard the sub-contractor was told his own business would be "burnt out" if he returned to the site.
Det Sgt Looby said he was also aware of information that a security van had been burnt out at the site. Although he said gardaí had not received official complaints about these matters.
A Meath County Council official told the court the haulage company had pulled their services following the phone call. Brian Murphy said an alternative company had been sourced but it was proving difficult to get them on site. The security company had also removed themselves from the site, the court heard.
Solicitor Neil McNelis, representing the couple, said it served "absolutely no benefit" to his clients for people to indulge in criminality.
He said they condemned any such actions and there was a serious attempt to tar his clients with "someone else's brush". He also claimed his clients had not breached any previous undertakings and were not in contempt of court.
Mr McNelis said the couple had "taken fright" last week and were "completely distressed". He said they were outside the country last week and any criminality was nothing to do with them.
Lawyers for the county council said it was clear the couple had been in contempt of court by failing to vacate the property three-and-a-half years ago as agreed.
However, barrister Deirdre Hughes said that as the council had secured possession of the site and the house had been substantially demolished, the council was not seeking to have the couple jailed for contempt.
She said the council would be happy to have the contempt proceedings discharged with certain conditions. And she said the council's only objective was to bring an end to the legal proceedings.
'A ball of rubble'
Mr Murray told the court he had lived in the property up until the week before last, but it was now "a ball of rubble". He agreed the land remained his property.
He claimed he had contacted a waste company who had delivered skips to the site - but he said he had told him to bring in more skips and wanted to get the mess gone. He said he knew nothing about the security firm and any threats were nothing to do with him.
Mr Murray said two people were dragged away from his kitchen table by people with balaclavas acting on behalf of Meath County Council. The couple's daughter who was in court became distressed during her father’s evidence.
Mr Murray agreed to give five undertakings to the court agreeing not to do anything to obstruct or interfere with council agents carrying out demolition work and to fully cooperate in ensuring the land was returned to an agricultural field.
He also agreed to co-operate with An Garda Síochána in relation to anyone seeking to interfere with the demolition, and to provide information requested by gardaí about anyone interfering with the demolition.
Rose Murray also agreed to give the same undertakings.
Ms Hughes said the undertakings had alleviated the council's concerns about further interference with the works at the property. She said the council would be seeking its legal costs against the couple. The court is expected to hear arguments on costs at a later date.
Mr McNelis said his clients were taking their case to the European Court of Human Rights and believed Meath County Council had acted to interfere with this application.
Mr Justice Richard Humphreys said he fully supported their right to go to Europe but he said the council had done nothing wrong and everything they had done was with the blessing of the court.
The Supreme Court had ordered the land to be restored to its original condition he said, and the High Court was implementing that order.
He said the matter had "gone on long enough", and the longer it went on, the more chance there was that things would escalate, as they had.
The case will be back before the court next month.
