A young and abusive car dealer shoved the keys of his broken down van in the “crotch area” of his trousers and told a garda to come and get them before roaring profanities at her.
The 19-year-old, who had also warned two Garda officers that they would need to get more patrols out because of the damage that he was going to cause, was jailed for a total of nine months and disqualified from driving for two years when he appeared at Galway District Court last Monday.
John Ward with an address at 50 Gaelcarrig Park, Newcastle, was summoned to appear in court for driving without insurance, failure to produce insurance, having no insurance disc displayed, driving without a driving licence, failure to produce a driving licence, threatening and abusive behaviour, and obstructing Garda Melissa Nallen on September 29, 2008, at Ballymoneen Road. There were also further road traffic offences committed on June 16, 2008, at Westside.
Garda Nallen told the court that on September 29 at Ballymoneen Road the defendant’s van stopped suddenly and had been causing an obstruction. She spoke to the driver (the defendant ) and made a demand for documents. She then informed him that she was going to seize the vehicle and asked for the car keys to be handed over. However, the defendant placed the “keys down his trousers” and told Garda Nallen that if she wanted them to come get them. Ward then abused Garda Nallen further by calling her a b**ch and telling her to go f*** herself.
The court heard that the defendant got out of the van, again put the keys down his trousers, and swore at both Garda Nallen and Garda Shane Prendergast. He then walked in the direction of Shangort Road and roared back that gardai in Salthill would need to send out further patrols because of trouble he was going to cause.
Defence solicitor Olivia Traynor put it to Garda Nallen that the van had stopped because there was something wrong and that he didn’t say he’d rather burn the van than hand it over. Garda Nallen replied that the defendant had been abusive.
When Ward took the stand he said that the Garda evidence was a “tissue of lies”. He added that he had taken the keys but had put them in the pocket of his trousers.
Inspector Mick Coppinger put it to Ward that he believed he was above the law, that he was abusive, called Garda Nallen a b**ch, and threatened to cause damage in Salthill. “You tried to bully the female garda,” he said. Ward strongly denied this.
After hearing the evidence Judge Fahy said that if the defendant had put the keys in his pocket there was no reason why the garda couldn’t get them. She added that the keys were put in the crotch area to achieve “maximum” insult. Judge Fahy said that the defendant, who had previous convictions for road traffic offences, has had many chances in the past and seems to think he can get away with this type of behaviour. She added that the “abuse of a garda is totally and utterly unacceptable”.
Ward was sentenced to a total of nine months in jail, was disqualified from driving for two years, and was fined €100 payable forthwith.
