James Carey, a Co Meath man claiming to be "The Sovereign King of Ireland," asked a judge for orders against both a member of An Garda Síochána and Bus Éireann.
Carey, describing himself as "His Majesty," told Judge Martin Nolan in the Circuit Civil Court in Dublin on July 27 that a Garda who issued him with a speeding ticket had no lawful right to do so, nor did the Garda have a lawful right to approach him.
Carey, who was ticketed for going 5 km/h over the limit, reportedly told the court that he was driving on one of his "private highways" when he was stopped.
Carey additionally took issue with Bus Éireann after he was told by a driver that he and his dog could not board a bus after his car broke down.
He said the bus was part of his privately-owned public bus fleet and said the driver had no jurisdiction in refusing him access.
At the start of the hearing, Judge Nolan told Carey that there would be no representation on behalf of An Garda Síochána or Bus Éireann. Carey subsequently claimed that he was entitled to both orders he sought because of this.
Judge Nolan told Carey that there was no king of Ireland and that his proceedings disclosed no proper cause of action.
Such an order would amount to treason, Carey said.
"I own Ireland, I rule Ireland and I am your legal employer," Carey told Judge Nolan.
Judge Nolan asked for a Garda presence in the court when Carey continued to address the court.
Ultimately, Judge Nolan struck both of Carey's applications.
Carey said he was leaving the courtroom of his own volition and not because of any ruling the court may make against him. He told the judge that he would be appealing the decision and was informed that he has 10 days to do so.
Carey posed for "personal photographs" upon exiting the court, the Irish Examiner reported.
On his social media profile, Carey describes himself as "Global Sovereign Head of State Reigning Brehon King Ri James."
Carey, who previously stood as an independent in the Meath County Council elections, has been involved with a number of legal disputes over the years.
In June 2009, the Meath Chronicle reported that Carey was arrested outside a polling station in Stamullen on polling day and taken before Drogheda Court to face charges dating from 2001.
He was accused of assaulting two people, causing them harm; dangerous driving, unauthorized possession of a firearm, and reckless discharge of a firearm in Gormanston or Stamullen in February 2001.
Carey, according to the Meath Chronicle, told the judge that when he was young, he had been involved in a serious accident in which he had suffered serious injuries and post-traumatic stress disorder.
Later, in March 2019, RTÉ Radio's Liveline program chronicled how Carey allegedly scammed a number of tradespeople who had worked on his home in Co Meath. Carey's family, according to Liveline, claimed he had been on the 'rampage' for 20 years and reported him to gardai, though there was "no evidence" of action being taken.
In February 2020, Carey claimed that his alleged careless driving in Co Meath was "an act of civil disobedience." He pleaded guilty, the Irish Independent reported.
The publication also noted at the time that Carey had two previous convictions for driving without insurance dating back to 2011 and 2015, two for assault and a theft conviction.
In October 2020, Carey was accused of operating a landing strip for private aircraft on a neighbor's land without aviation approval, according to a report in the Belfast Telegraph.
In 2021, he avoided being jailed for being in contempt of court after he gave a sworn undertaking to stay off disputed lands, the Irish Times reported.
In March 2022, however, Louth Live reported that Carey was remanded in custody after he refused to sign a bail bond that directed him to stay off land which he claimed belonged to him.
Carey was further charged with entering the land without the consent of the owner, with a mini digger that was likely to substantially damage the land, to prevent persons entitled to use the land from making reasonable use of it and substantially interfering with the land.
Carey told Judge Eirinn McKiernan: “I own that land under the Land Commission and I’m also the head of State under the Land Commission.
"You can’t remove a king from his kingdom.”
Comments