'You don't know the power of the dark side': Dad accused of breaching safety order with 'Star Wars' messages has case struck out

"During evidence, the court was told the father's alleged messages included "I'm your father, don't forget" and "You don't know the power of the dark side" - both references to Star Wars. He was said to have challenged his son to a game of Battlefront, which is based on the Star Wars films, and also allegedly told him: "You're nearly 16, you're nearly a man now." The court also heard he was alleged to have written "May the Force be with you" and "Come to the dark side"."

"Mr Hennessy told the judge he intended to challenge all of the prosecution's evidence. He said the safety order being referred to - dated 10 February 2022 - had no judge's signature and included a handwritten condition with what appeared to be illegible initials. Without a properly signed order, he said, the case had no legal foundation. He told the court the central issue would be the validity of the safety order and whether the PlayStation messages could be relied upon as evidence."

"During cross-examination, Mr Hennessy put it to the complainant that the messages showed a father trying to stay in touch with his son - asking about his exam results and wishing him a Happy Christmas - rather than trying to intimidate or breach the order."

Judge Patricia McNamara heard a case at Tallaght District Court alleging a man breached a safety order by sending PlayStation messages to his teenage son in contravention of Section 33 of the Domestic Violence Act 2018. The messages allegedly contained Star Wars references, challenges to play Battlefront, and phrases such as "I'm your father, don't forget" and "Come to the dark side." The boy's mother reported that her son found the messages. The man's solicitor, Michael Hennessy, said he would challenge all prosecution evidence and questioned the safety order's validity due to a missing judge's signature and illegible initials. The defence argued the messages could reflect attempts to stay in touch rather than intimidation. The central contested issues are the order's validity and the admissibility of the PlayStation messages as evidence.

Read at Irish Independent