A man who, when a screwdriver was found in his car, told gardai it was for his “protection”, and was then charged with possession of an offensive weapon, had his case adjourned until September for a probation report after the judge was satisfied the defendant’s rehabilitation was making progress.
In tandem with this offence, Derek Ryan (25 ) of Clongowna, Bealnamullia, Athlone was also in court to plead guilty to the theft of two plasma TVs worth €400 found by gardai after a search of his house on September 1, 2008; possession of €5 worth of heroin on October 22, 2008; and more seriously, possession of a sword, baseball bat and kitchen knives, also found in his car after a Garda search of his car in the early hours of October 20, 2008.
Inspector Nicholas Farrell told the court gardai believed the weaponry was related to “a feud going on at the time”.
He also told Judge David Anderson the screwdriver was found in Ryan’s car on November 1, 2008, and when asked what it was for “he said it was for his own protection”.
Ryan had six previous convictions, the most recent being in September 2006 for criminal damage and assault.
His solicitor Padraig Quinn asked the court to note how this spate of offences happened in just a two month period in late 2008, and how his client’s “alcoholic tendencies turned into a drug dependency”.
“He is now attending with various [rehab] services and provides two urine samples - to Merchants Quay and his GP - each week,” said Mr Quinn, who handed in a number of reports on his client, a former roofer, to the court.
“He is somebody easily led and succumbed to peer pressure. He was in the company of others considerably more experienced than him and allowed his car to be used,” Mr Quinn continued.
“There is no evidence property was damaged or injury caused through these incidents. He had fanciful notions of what was going on.”
Considering his client’s early plea and his various treatments, Mr Quinn asked for a probation report to be prepared on his client and the judge agreed.
Ryan was remanded on continuing bail until September 15 for such a report to be presented to the court.
