A FATHER accused of telling a garda he wished he could inject him and his children with cancer claimed he called officers the "Christmas grinch" after his house was raided and his children's presents seized, a court heard.

John McDonagh (36) is also alleged to have threatened to burn down the homes of two gardai and told one of them he would "blow his head off".

Mr McDonagh and a co-accused John Joyce (43) appeared before Dun Laoghaire District Court yesterday charged with making threats to kill or cause serious injury to gardai.

The two men were arrested on Tuesday after officers carried out a raid on a Traveller site in Blackrock.

Judge Hugh O'Donnell remanded the men in custody with consent to bail to appear before Cloverhill District Court on Friday.

Mr McDonagh, of St Louise's Park in Blackrock, is charged with making threats to kill or cause serious harm to Garda Neil Doyle and Garda Jonathan Ryan.

Mr Joyce, with addresses at Booterstown Halting Site and at Naul, Balbriggan, is accused of making similar threats to Garda Lorraine Mulvin.

Sgt Gordon Woulfe said it will be alleged Mr McDonagh threatened to burn down Gda Ryan's home and throw petrol through his letterbox.

Sgt Woulfe also alleged Mr McDonagh told Garda Doyle he would burn his house down and "blow his head off".

Defence lawyer John Dunne said Mr McDonagh enjoyed the presumption of innocence and would abide by any bail conditions.

Mr McDonagh admitted calling gardai the "Christmas grinch" and telling them they were "robbing Christmas". He claimed gardai seized his children's Christmas presents.

In relation to Mr Joyce, Garda Jonathan Shine said it will be alleged that on November 25 he told Garda Mulvin "never come on to this site again".

Irish Independent