CARLOW TOWN Council last week applied to the local District Court for an exclusion order against four residents of John Sweeney Park, one of whom has a case of illegally possessing a firearm pending against him.

Sergeant Declan Callinan told the court that houses in Carlow town had been subjected to criminal damage and that local people were afraid to come to court about the matter. He also said that the discovery of a Glock pistol in 44 John Sweeney Park increased fears of the residents in the estate.

The court also heard that other houses (numbers 49, 50 and 51) had to be evacuated and are now boarded up and that a series of sheds had been burnt out.

Acting for the council, Cynthia Ní Mhurchú made the application to the court for an exclusion order against three brothers, Gareth, Darren and Philip Coakley, of 44 John Sweeney Park and their neighbour, Denis Dempsey of 78 John Sweeney Park, directing them to leave their respective homes. The application also included an order prohibiting the men from entering or being in the vicinity of their houses or any other house to be specified by the order of the court.

Sergeant Callinan said that Gardai searched the Coakley home at 44 John Sweeney Park on February 19 last year and that a Glock pistol and two loaded magazines were found. Gareth Coakley has pleaded not guilty to charges arising out of the incident and is due to appear in the local District Court next month.

He told Judge William Harnett that Dempsey has four charges pending against him, arising out of the damage caused to the sheds on the estate and is due to appear later this month in court about the matter.

Judge Harnett heard that the management at a local school, Gaelscoil Ceatherlach, were also concerned because a fence separating the estate from the school playing fields had been knocked down. The management, Sergeant Callinan said, had 'ongoing fears' about the safety of their students.

Judge Harnett said that the application made by Carlow Town Council and the evidence heard could be prejudicial and could 'seriously affect' the cases pending against Gareth Coakley and Dempsey. He adjourned the application until May 6.