“What kind of picture is this building of this city?” asked a district court judge after hearing of the abuse hurled at a member of the Gardai doing his duty.
Judge Mary Fahy made the comments at Galway District Court last Monday after hearing how Brendan Sweeney challenged a Garda to search him or f**k off. The 31-year-old, with an address at 2 St Finbar’s Terrace, Bohermore, was sentenced to two months in jail after pleading guilty to being intoxicated in a public place and threatening and abusive behaviour.
Inspector Sean Glynn told the court that in the early hours of October 24, 2008, the defendant’s car was stopped in the Bohermore area in order to conduct a search under the Misuse of Drugs Act. He said that Sweeney had been intoxicated and abusive and that there had been a number of people in the area.
Regarding the defendant’s previous convictions Inspector Glynn said that suspended sentences had been imposed in November 2006 for assault and obstruction. There were also public order offences in April 2004 as well as a suspended sentence for an affray in 2003.
The court heard that after being stopped the defendant said to a garda officer: “What the f**k do you want? F**king search me or f**k off”.
“That’s hardly the usual section 6,” said Judge Fahy.
Defence solicitor Olivia Traynor said that her client has not come to the attention of gardai since 2006 and that there had been a tragic incident in his family at the time. She added that this had put pressure on Sweeney’s mother and siblings. She said that Sweeney had left secondary school early and was not working.
Judge Fahy said a person who speaks to gardai in this manner cannot be tolerated. Sweeney was then convicted and sentenced to two months in jail for the threatening and abusive behaviour. He was also fined €100 payable forthwith for the remaining offence. Leave to appeal was granted.
