A Castlebar man had a 28 day suspended prison sentence imposed on him after he pleaded guilty to a number of public order offences in Castlebar District Court this week. Paul Ludden of 89B Chestnut Grove, Castlebar, was arrested by gardai on April 24 after failing to follow their instruction to go home on a number of occasions. Garda Kate Conlon told the court that she arrested Ludden after she met him on Main Street, Castlebar, at 3.40am, she found him in an intoxicated state and asked him his name and told him to go home, which he refused to do. He became agressive and started shouting and roaring before he kicked a bin, she eventually arrested him on Mill Lane, just off the Main Street. He was transported to the Garda station in the back of a patrol car. Garda Ger Dillion gave evidence to the court that after initially being quiet when he was put in the car and had a pair of handcuffs placed on him, Ludden became agressive resulting in Garda Dillion having to pin him against the side of the car for his own protection and of the driver. He also told the court that it took three gardai to get Ludden from the patrol car into the station, and even when he was taken inside the station he continued to be abusive and agressive towards the gardai.
Solicitor for Ludden, Mr Aidan Crowley, put it to Garda Dillion that the only reason that his client became agressive in the car was because Garda Dillon grabbed him by the neck and pinned him against the side of the car during transit from where he was arrested to the station. Garda Dillon refuted the claims by Mr Crowley saying he only used his arm to restrain Ludden after he became agressive in the patrol car. Judge Mary Devins convicted and fined Ludden €250 for committing threatening and abusive behavior in a public place and imposed a 28 day sentence suspended for 12 months. She took a charge of being intoxicated in a public place into consideration, she remanded Ludden on bail until July 7 for a decision on legal aid.
