A woman who Tasered a security official and punched another one as they repossessed her home has been taken into custody after she refused to enter a good behaviour bond.
Lisa Temple (56) was given a one-year suspended sentence in Dublin Circuit Criminal Court on Monday, but refused to enter into a bond to be of good behaviour. As a result, Judge Martin Nolan said she should be taken into custody, telling her: “no one is above the law.”
He said he did not want to send Temple to prison and that he was trying to impose a non-custodial sentence.
“And I’m trying to tell you to give up yer aul sins,” Temple replied. She told the court she was not going to “bend down” to the court, even as some of her supporters and her two adult daughters pleaded with her to enter into the bond.
Temple, with an address in Gann Road, Carlingford, Co Louth, was convicted of two counts of assault under Section 2 of the Non-Fatal Offences Against the Person Act and possession of an article – a Taser – capable of inflicting harm on March 30th, 2022, at Sir Ivor Mall, The Chase, Brewery Road, Leopardstown, Co Dublin.
Temple represented herself during the six-day trial but was represented by senior counsel at her sentence hearing on Monday after being found guilty last month.
Defending barrister Garret Baker told the court his client had given him “rigid” instructions to seek an adjournment because she did not believe she could be adequately defended by counsel at short notice. He said it was an “emotionally charged long-standing property dispute”.
The sentence was due to be heard last Friday but Nolan granted an adjournment to give defence counsel time to confer. When the judge indicated he wished to hear evidence of the case, Temple started protesting and shouting from the dock.
When she refused to stop, Nolan ordered that she be put into the court cells and evidence was then heard in her absence.
Sgt Keith Arkins told prosecuting barrister Diana Stuart that on the date in question, two bank security officials were assaulted by Temple as they repossessed her home.
One was punched “with a closed fist to the head”, the court heard. Temple then lunged at the second official with a Taser, which was crackling and made contact with his clothing, Arkins said.
Neither man required medical attention. The maximum sentence for possession of an article is seven years, while the maximum sentence for simple assault is six months. Temple has one minor previous conviction for failing to display a tax disk.
After the garda had given evidence, Nolan recalled Temple back to court and proceeded to hand down sentence.
He said he did not believe she deserved a custodial term and noted it was a distressing time for her.
After she was taken into custody, Nolan gave defence counsel liberty to reapply should Temple change her mind.