A drug addicted teenager, who attended court from jail, was given another four months for his troubles in the District Court this week (November 25 ) for possession of an offensive weapon and driving without insurance.
James Ring (19 ), with an address at Thornbury Drive, Willow Park, Athlone was before Judge David Anderson after being found with a small, craft blade on his person in Thornbury Park on April 4 and, at the same location, stopped whilst driving with no insurance or licence on June 20.
He also had a public order charge against his name after gardai found him so drunk in the middle of the road in Custume Place at 4.30am on October 27 that “traffic had to avoid him”.
The court heard from Inspector Nicholas Farrell that Ring had a previous conviction for driving without insurance from March 2007 for which he got a two month sentence and that he was attending court from prison where he was serving a different two month sentence, with a release date of January 2, 2009.
His solicitor Tony McLynn told the court Ring still lived with his parents and that: “he has a drug problem which has been a central factor.”
“He accepts he had no business having the offensive item,” said Mr McLynn, who sought some leniency on acount of his client’s guilty plea.
“Today was a hearing date, Mr McLynn. He should’ve put his hands up a lot earlier,” said Judge Anderson before sentencing Ring to four months in prison for having no insurance and a concurrent four months for the offensive weapon, with the sentence to run from the date of court.
The public order conviction and his not having a driving licence were taken into consideration.
Ring is currently appealing a 16 month sentence handed down in a special sitting of the District Court in Athlone on October 1.
He was convicted alongside one other for his part in a feud-related assault on a family house in Meadowbrook last January which saw a number of windows broken and petrol bombs used in the vicinity.
An appeal date on these matters has yet to be fixed.
