Neighbour accused of ‘howling like a witch’ in restraining order breach case
The man gave evidence that his neighbour intimidated his family, banging bricks together and shouting at them.
A CARLOW District Court hearing descended into the bizarre as a man detailed allegations that his neighbour had breached a civil restraining order by banging bricks together, “howling like a witch”, and conducting conversations with her dog about his family.
The injured party, who cannot be named for legal reasons, gave evidence on 5 November against his Carlow neighbour regarding what he described as the latest in a series of breaches of a restraining order protecting him and his family.
The court heard that on 1 July 2025, the man’s children were walking home from their cousin’s house when they encountered the defendant waiting in her front garden. According to the injured party, who said the entire incident was captured on CCTV, what happened next was deeply unsettling.
“She was banging bricks together in her front garden, shouting and screaming and laughing and howling like a witch and playing loud music,” he told the court. “She shouted ‘like clockwork’ because she knows when they come home. They retreated back in fear and she started laughing.
“It’s like she’s possessed.” He urged the court to view the footage.
The man told Judge Carthy that the behaviour had been ongoing for “ten to 12 years” and that his children, now in their early teens, no longer play outside with friends.
“The kids are willing to give evidence. They don’t go outside to play with their friends anymore. It’s not nice behaviour,” he said.
He detailed other alleged incidents, including accusations that his family had stolen a watch from Amazon, name-calling, and the defendant taking photographs of his daughter as she opened a window. “She’s trying to get some reaction from us,” he said.
The court heard that when the family opens their windows in the morning, the defendant begins shouting at them from her garden. But perhaps the most unusual allegation involved the neighbour’s communication methods.
“She pushes her dog around in a buggy and speaks to him about us,” the injured party testified. “I don’t know any dog that understands human,” he added sarcastically, explaining that she appears to direct conversation towards his family while pretending to talk to the dog or on the phone.
However, the hearing hit a procedural snag when it emerged that the CCTV footage had been entered into evidence at a late stage. The defence solicitor requested time to review the material, prompting Judge Geraldine Carthy to adjourn the case until later this month.
As the injured party left the witness stand, he looked towards the defendant and remarked in a frustrated tone: “She’s smirking in court.”
The case will resume later in November.
