Pearse McAuley charged with assaulting his wife

Prominent republican Pearse McAuley will appear in court again this week after being charged with assault causing harm to his wife, and three charges of threatening to kill.

McAuley was escorted to Cavan District Court just before 5pm on Saturday to face the charges in relation to an alleged incident on Christmas Eve.

He sat silently during the brief hearing before Judge Cormac Dunne.

Inspector Seamus Boyle told the court that McAuley made no reply when charged with the first offence of causing harm.

That charge was under Section 3 of the Non-Fatal Offences Against the Person Act.

Mr McAuley was also charged under the same act with making threats to kill or commit serious harm to Seamus Leddy, who is understood to be a neighbour of Mrs McAuley's at Kilnaleck, Co Cavan, on Christmas Eve.

Inspector Boyle told the court that in reply to this charge McAuley replied: "I don't remember."

McAuley was further charged under the same Section 5 of threatening to kill or commit harm to Thomas Tully, brother of the injured party.

In reply to this charge, Inspector Boyle told the court that McAuley replied: "I don't know how I could have done that."

The fourth charge, also under Section 5 of the act, was that McAuley threatened to kill or commit serious harm to his wife, former Sinn Fein councillor Pauline Tully-McAuley.

Inspector Boyle said in reply to this charge, McAuley replied: "I don't say I was going to do it."

He added: "I didn't set out to kill or harm Pauline McAuley."

Unemployed

Solicitor for Mr McAuley, Erinn McKernan, said her client was unemployed and applied for legal aid.

Judge Dunne granted the application and remanded Mr McAuley in custody to appear before Harristown District Court on January 2.

McAuley's court appearance came after he was released from hospital, where he had been treated for "underlying medical issues", and into garda custody on Friday night.

His wife Pauline Tully-McAuley was a Sinn Fein county councillor in Cavan for a decade before stepping down in 2012.

Irish Independent