A suspended sentence was imposed on a Renmore man after the “shocking” abuse he hurled at gardai as they attempted to move him on from the doorway of a city centre shop where he was causing annoyance.
Rory Carroll (48 ) with an address at 12 Beachpark, Renmore, appeared at Galway District Court last Monday and pleaded guilty to threatening and abusive behaviour at William Street on October 23, 2008, and for failing to appear in court on November 3, 2008.
Inspector Ernie White told the court that on October 23 at 8pm gardai received a call from security at a shop in William Street. They complained of males standing in the doorway shouting and causing annoyance. When gardai arrived and directed the defendant to move away from the area he replied: “F**k off, you free state c**s”.
Defence solicitor Valerie Corcoran said that her client, who had since apologised to the garda officers involved, was on medication for thrombosis and angina and that on the night in question he had been drinking. She added that Carroll’s medical condition was so serious that “he is going to have an amputation soon”. She then stressed that the defendant has “no feelings of aggression to gardai” but had succumbed to the temptation of drink.
Regarding her client’s failure to appear in court Ms Corcoran explained that the charge sheet that he had been given had got wet and he got the court date mixed up.
Carroll told Judge Mary Fahy that he had been on his way home but because his leg is so bad he couldn’t walk that far and had stopped and engaged in conversation.
“The best thing you can do is to give up drink. You are looking at a custodial sentence. I am very tempted. The treatment of gardai was shocking, especially for such a mature man,” said Judge Fahy.
However, Judge Fahy imposed a total of four months sentence suspended for 12 months. Carroll was then ordered to enter into his own bond of €500 and be of good behaviour and not come to Garda notice during that period.
