A man pleaded guilty to confronting a Ukrainian family with a knife but denied "screaming at them to move out" of their new home in Dublin, a court has heard.

Richard Bohan, of Pimlico, Dublin 8, pleaded guilty to wielding a three-inch knife capable of inflicting serious injury towards the family on February 19th. 

Cloverhill District Court heard Mr Bohan saw the family, threw a bucket at them and was "screaming at them to move out". 

A person distracted him with a sweeping brush, which allowed the couple and their daughter, aged 8, to "retreat into the house". 

Gardaí then arrived and arrested Bohan under the Firearms and Offensive Weapons Act. 

The court was told Mr Bohan made “certain admissions” during his Garda interview but denied during his hearing that he told the family to move.

The claim that Mr Bohan told the family to move while wielding the knife was made by the father.

Mr Bohan has no previous convictions or warrants record and has been in custody on remand since the incident. 

Leniency for knife attack

Pleading for leniency, defence solicitor Matthew de Courcy said his client suffered from psychiatric difficulties, and there was a report outlining that he had a borderline personality disorder and autism. 

He said Mr Bohan had "a myriad of problems; his memory of the incident is hazy, to say the least". 

The defence acknowledged that the presence of a young child at the scene made the knife incident "particularly unsavoury". 

However, Mr de Coury said that there were no racial undertones to the incident. 

Judge Alan Mitchell adjourned sentencing for a probation report on Mr Bohan and he said he would consider all options. 

Mr Bohan may have to move from his council home but will only be provided an alternative once he forfeits his current address.  

The case resumes later this month. 

Reporting by Tom Tuite.