Man charged over abduction attempt in bail application

A man charged with the attempted abduction of a child from a Dublin apartment building has lodged a fresh application for bail in the High Court.

Visak Rajesh Leela, 25, who is originally from India, was arrested following a party on 14 September after being allegedly seen walking out with child "under his arm".

The defence has stated that ultimately, a jury would decide if "it was extremely misguided, foolish horseplay by a drunk man or something more sinister".

"We are absolutely adamant that it was the former", the accused's solicitor, Michael Kelleher, had told Cloverhill District Court last Wednesday when his first bail application was denied.

Mr Leela, a postgraduate student who has lived in south Dublin for ten months, was refused bail at that hearing but has instructed his legal team to commence a new application for bail in the High Court in Cloverhill.

It was listed for today, but did not proceed, and it has been put back for a week.

Earlier in the proceedings, Detective Sergeant Basil Grimes alleged that the accused was at the building and interacted with the young child and his older sibling, at the door.

Mr Leela followed them in and emerged with the younger child under his arm, and there was CCTV evidence.

The second child followed them, and they returned to the building, where the children went inside, but the accused left.

Mr Leela replied to the charge: "I was not taking the child anywhere. I'm not a person like that. I do not have any intention with a child. I do not have any bad or unwanted intentions with a child."

The court heard that gardaí would recommend to the DPP that the case go to the Circuit Court, where the offence can attract a maximum seven-year sentence.

The court heard Mr Leela was intoxicated and unfit to be interviewed for several hours after his arrest. However, he handed over passwords for gardaí to access his devices to check them, and he was adamant that there was "no sinister intent in all of this".

His District Court proceedings, where the DPP's directions are awaited, resume on 2 October.