Judge Mary Devins ordered probation reports on a mother and daughter who she branded as “reckless and a menace” at Castlebar District Court this week. Sarah Spence, Cosy House, Newtown, Castlebar, and her daughter Harriet Higgins, also of Cosy House, Newtown, Castlebar, were both in court to face a number of public order charges. Both Spence and Higgins pleaded guilty to the charges before the court.
Spence was in court after being arrested for threatening and abusing staff members in the accident and emergency department of Mayo General Hospital on November 6 2009 at 11.20pm. Higgins pleaded guilty to a public order offence in Castlebar Garda station on November 7 2009 at 1.10am where her mother was in custody following her arrest at the hospital. She also pleaded guilty to public order offences on February 7 2010 on New Antrim Street, Castlebar, at 2.30am where she abused gardaí and members of the public, and caused €120 worth of damage to a Garda car as gardaí tried to arrest her. Higgins also pleaded guilty to another public order charge after Spence called the gardaí to report an incident on March 3 2010 at 12.05am to their residence in Castlebar.
Solicitor for both Spence and Higgins, Aidan Crowley, outlined to the court that both of the women had serious drinking problems and they were enabling each other’s drinking at the moment. Spence admitted to the court that she did have a drinking problem and was trying to cut down. Mr Crowley told the court that Higgins had told him that she had been drinking since she was the age of 12 - she is currently 19 years old, and she would commonly drink vodka, whiskey, brandy, and lager.
After hearing evidence from a number of gardaí as to the type of language used by both Spence and Higgins when they were arrested Judge Devins told the court: “I’ve just heard evidence of the vile, disgusting words from your mouth. You are both out of control, this jurisdiction and this county doesn’t want you.” Inspector Martin Byrne told the court that in the past two years they had been in three different houses and in every house they were in there has been difficulties, not just with Spence and Higgins, but also people who were calling to the house.
Judge Devins suggested that if both Spence and Higgins should return to the UK, where Spence is from and Higgins resided until 18 months ago, though she was born in Dublin, she would consider not imposing a custodial sentence. The judge rose from the court to let them consider it. But neither woman was prepared to return to the UK, Mr Crowley told the court. Judge Devins asked Mr Crowley whether it would be worthwhile engaging the probation service, rather than sending them to the Dóchas women’s prison in Mountjoy. “If they do engage with them it would be miraculous, but it would be worth a try,” Mr Crowley told the court.
Inspector Martin Byrne agreed to the probation report with a number of strict conditions which included both women observing a curfew from 9pm to 9am, to abstain from alcohol and other drugs, to sign on daily at Castlebar Garda station, to reside at their current address, to inform the Garda immediately if they changed address, and to give the Garda liberty to re-enter the case at 24 hours’ notice. Judge Mary Devins adjourned sentencing on the pair until May 5.
