A President Trump ‘admirer’ travelled to the Trump Doonbeg resort last Friday to present a scrapbook for the US President – but ended up being arrested by Gardaí, charged with a weapons offence and spending four nights in Ireland’s most over-crowded prison.
At Ennis District Court, Dunja Habbal (26), who has a Donald Trump tattoo on her left arm, appeared charged with trespass at Doonbeg Golf Club last Friday, September 11th.
Ms Habbal of Weinham, Germany also appeared in court charged under the Firearms and Offensive Weapons Act, 1990 over having in her possession a black handled scissors at Doonbeg Golf Club on September 11th.
The German national was first brought before a special sitting of Ennis District Court on Saturday evening last on the two charges and was remanded in custody to Limerick’s Women’s Prison to re-appear before the court.
Ms Habbal’s trespass at Doonbeg Golf Club came ahead of President Trump arriving at the resort on Saturday afternoon for the Amgen Irish Open amidst a major Garda operation in place across Co Clare.
Now, at the adjourned court, Judge Adrian Harris has struck out the weapons offence after accepting that what he said was the “innocent explanation” put forward by solicitor, Tara Godfrey that Ms Habbal was using the scissors to cut out pictures of President Trump to put into the scrap-book.
In court, Ms Godfrey said that Ms Habbal is an ‘admirer’ of President Trump and had travelled to the Trump Doonbeg resort to present a scrapbook for President Trump. Ms Godfrey said that Ms Habbal had the scrapbook at the courthouse if the judge wished to view it.
Ms Godfrey said that Ms Habbal “has serious mental health difficulties” and “has got great comfort in her spiritual connection with Mr Trump”.
Ms Godfrey said that Ms Habbal had travelled to Trump Doonbeg “to show her deep admiration of President Trump”.
Ms Godfrey said that the trespass charge is admitted as Ms Habbal did not realise she required a ticket for the Amgen Irish Open on the Friday.
Ms Godfrey said that Ms Habbal “meant absolutely no harm and I think the Gardaí accept that she was’t there to protest against President Trump and she was there as a genuine admirer of President Trump and unfortunately it became lost in translation pretty quickly”.
Ms Godfrey said that “there was no intention to use scissors to harm anyone – quite the opposite”.
The solicitor stated that “when Gardai arrested Ms Habbal they were very kind and concerned about her welfare”.
Ms Godfrey told the court that Ms Habbal has a Donald Trump tattoo on her arm that also includes a flag.
Sgt Frank O’Grady told the court that Ms Habbal has no previous convictions and that Gardaí accept the explanation offered over the scissors.
Ms Godfrey said that Ms Habbal has been nothing but polite and co-operative with every single person she has met and would not have any criminogenic tendencies as such.
Ms Gofrey said that the German embassy had been assisting Ms Habbal’s family for two weeks before last Friday in trying to locate her in Ireland.
She said that Ms Habbal’s family had come to Ireland to try to locate her and she had been a missing person.
Ms Godfrey said that a flight for Ms Habbal has been booked out of Dublin airport on Friday evening, September 17th back to Germany and asked Judge Harris not to criminalise his client on the trespass charge.
Judge Harris found the facts proven against Ms Habbal on the trespass but did not convict her and instead released her on a Probation Bond to allow her return to Germany. Ms Habbal then walked free from Ennis courthouse.
A condition attached to the Probation bond is that Ms Habbal stay away from Doonbeg, Co Clare.
