A 33-year-old Ballina man who was found asleep in a bank and refused to leave as he had personal issues with the financial institution was before Ballina District Court on Tuesday.
Edward Cleary, Tullylinn, Culleens, County Sligo, was found asleep by Garda John Barrett on February 12 at 2.50pm in Ulster Bank, Ballina, after management complained about the defendant. Cleary refused to leave the area.
Four days earlier at 1.40am, Garda Aidan Brennan observed the defendant fighting with another man on Pearse Street. Cleary, who was intoxicated, had to be physically pulled away from the other man.
Solicitor John Gordon said that this fight resulted after Cleary tried to defend himself and regarding the incident with the bank he explained that Cleary had a personal issue with the bank. Mr Gordon said that the single man who lives with his father on a farm, had previous public order offences and goes on drinking binges.
Judge Mary Devins said to the defendant that he needs to address his problem with alcohol and adjourned the matters for sentencing to July 14, by which time the defendant should have sought help for his difficulty with alcohol, and have a report from a councillor in court with him otherwise Cleary will go to prison. “If you do nothing to help yourself I’m afraid that you will have to live with the consequences,” she warned him.
