A Cameroonian woman had to barricade herself and her two young children into their home in Limerick as a neighbour tried to break down the front door armed with a crowbar and a knife, a court heard.

A short time earlier, the woman’s husband, also from Cameroon, who is a graduate of Limerick Institute of Technology, was kicked and abused near the house.

The incidents were recalled at Limerick Circuit Court by Gennin Awoudou and his wife Yvette Baga, who had moved to Limerick from Cameroon so that Mr Awoudou could pursue studies at LIT.

Geoffrey Duggan, aged 28, of Creagh Avenue, Kileely, has pleaded not guilty to causing criminal damage to the couple’s rented house at Cregan Avenue, Kileely, and illegal possession of a knife.

Ms Baga was at home with their two children, aged two and five, on the evening of April 14, 2015. Her husband had left to go into town. It was around 8.30pm and she saw a man approach carrying what appeared to be two knives. He had a scarf pulled up covering his face and he tried to force open the front door. When he failed, he started to shout and banged the door and glass panels with the implements in his hands.

She put a heavy object against the door and started to scream to alert neighbours. The man repeatedly tried to break down the door for up to 10 minutes.

Gennin Awoudou said earlier the same evening he left the house to walk into town when a man with a bottle of cider shouted and roared at him. The man approached and used the ‘f’ word. As he walked away towards his house, the man followed and kicked him in the bottom.

This man then asked children on the road to get a knife and this frightened Mr Awoudou. He went to the front gate of his own home and did not see him again. He stayed for a short while and feeling it was safe, resumed his walk back into town.

Garda Samantha O’Dowd, an off-duty garda based at Templemore College, recalled driving in Kileely that evening at around 8.30pm.

She saw a man pulling a scarf over his face and go towards a house and knew he was going to do something.

This man then pulled a large knife and a crowbar from under his clothes and went to the front door of the house. He was shouting threats and kept hitting the door with the knife and crowbar.

Garda O’Dowd contacted Henry Street by phone to put out an alert. She said she had a perfect view of the man who attacked the house. Sgt Kieran Crowley recalled that with Det Garda Enda Hough they intercepted a man matching his description.

Sgt Crowley said Garda O’Dowd came on the scene and identified him as the accused, Geoffrey Duggan.

The trial continues.