A 59-year-old farmer who brandished a knife and a pitchfork at neighbours in two separate incidents — while being in an intoxicated and threatening state — was before Judge Denis McLoughlin at Belmullet District Court this week.
Richard Ivers, neighbour of Patrick Gaughan, Derrycorrib, Belmullet, outlined to the court that since a dispute over a timber fence which Mr Ivers erected on his property which is adjacent to Gaughan’s mother’s residence, there has been an ongoing issue on Gaughan’s behalf.
Mr Ivers said that the first incident occurred on New Year’s Eve 2008, when the defendant, who had a “lot of drink on him”, was shouting abuse at the Ivers’ house and had a pitchfork in his hand. Mr Ivers captured this incident by taking photos.
This year on March 31 in the afternoon, when Mr Ivers was outside with is two sons aged eight and one, Gaughan appeared outside cursing and shouting across at the Ivers. Mr Ivers brought the children inside for their safety. Gaughan continued to roar and shout across at the family and was then observed brandishing a knife in his hand on the public road near Mr Ivers house. Mr Ivers took photos of the incident and called the gardaí.
Mr Ivers’ partner Ella Gibbons then returned home from work where she observed Gaughan in this drunken state. Ms Gibbons and Mr Ivers both heard Gaughan say that “he would have one of us before the night was out”.
Following a complaint by the couple, Garda Evelyn O’Mahony went to the defendant’s house where he slammed and locked the door on the garda and told her to “get the f**k out of here, you’re on private property this is your last chance.” After 20 minutes, the garda left. When Gaughan was subsequently arrested a knife was found near him, however the defendant denied at the Garda station that he had ever seen this knife.
Liam Sheridan, defending solicitor, said that his client denies shouting abuse and only had the knife in his possession to cut plastic from around the fence and it was not he defendant’s intention to threaten or cause injury with the knife.
The defendant told the court that he rarely drinks and that he is a mild mannered man, however Superintendent Michael Larkin said that telling the gardaí and the Ivers to “f**k” off is hardly the actions of a mild mannered man.
Gaughan, who resides with his 90-year-old mother on a small farm and is his mother’s sole carer, was given the Probation Act when a timber fence was previously damaged, and also has previous convictions for public order and for drink driving where he was given a three month suspended sentence until 2010.
Judge Denis McLoughlin said that after hearing the evidence he had no hesitation in convicting Gaughan as “who knows what frame of mind this man was in” as when in an “ intoxicated state he approached the house with a seriously dangerous weapon in his hand”.
The judge said that he was in a “quandary” as to what to do as a jail sentence on Gaughan would have a serious effect on his mother and adjourned the case to October 14 for a probation report, where if suitable, Gaughan would undertake 40 hours community service in lieu of four months in prison.
