U.S. military veterans fined € 5,000 for obstructing Shannon Airport operations

Two U.S. military veterans in their 80s were fined € 5,000 each for disrupting Shannon Airport’s operations as part of an anti-war protest three years ago.

On Tuesday, a Dublin Circuit court jury invaded Ken Mayers (85) and Tarak Kauf (80) at the airport for criminal damage to the airport’s border fence and for committing crimes and sabotaging property. I admitted that I did.

The jury returned a majority verdict guilty of another charge of disrupting the operation, safety, or control of the airport by entering the runway area and closing the airport.

At a hearing on Wednesday, the indicted Tony McGillicuddy SC told the court that the fine was a fine of up to € 250,000, two years’ imprisonment, or both.

Kauf’s advocate Carol Dougherty (BL) takes into account the age of her client and the fact that he had already spent less than two weeks in Limerick Prison and was unable to return to his family in the United States. I asked the court.

Michael Hooligan BL, a defender of Myers, emphasized to the court that his client has cooperated fully through both investigations and trials. He emphasized the client’s age, educational background, and spending 13 days in Limerick Prison.

“Serious violation”

Judge Patricia Ryan said Shannon Airport was closed for 40 minutes and was a serious breach.

She took into account mitigation factors such as men’s cooperation, age, and good work history, and said neither man had been previously convicted.

She also said that both men had already spent 13 days in prison and needed to stay in Ireland for the past nine months.

Judge Ryan fined each man € 5,000. She said both men had already submitted € 2,500 as a condition for bail. She requested an additional € 2,500 to be submitted as soon as possible.

In a five-day trial, around 10 am on St. Patrick’s Day 2019, two men pierced the airport border fence with a pair of bolt cutters, damaging the value of € 590, and then at the airport. I heard that I was walking to the land.

They were met on the taxiway by airport staff after the staff were warned of a security breach. When asked what they were doing, they said they were peace protesters there to inspect US military aircraft. They had a folded banner.

The airport was closed for about 40 minutes, and according to the trial, two planes were delayed in departure and forced to stay in the air until one freighter was completely cleared.

Courts heard that both men served the US military before becoming anti-war activists in the 1960s. They are members of a US-based group called Veterans for Peace.

From the beginning, they both allowed them to pierce the fence and enter the land of the airport.

Providing evidence to the jury trials, they said they did so to protest the US military use of Shannon as a stopover on the way to places like the Middle East.

On March 17, 2019, Mayers of Monte Arte Road, Santa Fe, New Mexico and Kauf of Arnold Drive, Woodstock, NY, pleaded not guilty to intrusion, criminal damage, and disruption to Shannon Airport’s operations, safety, and control. bottom. ..