A 59-year-old man was before Castlebar District Court this week where he was convicted and fined for being threatening and abusive to rescue personnel who cut him out from his car, which was found located down an embankment off the N5.
Gardaí came to the scene of a crash on the N5, in the area of Knockavraney, Ballyvary, at 7am on May 16 2012 . The rear of the car was down an embankment and sitting inside the car, in the back seat, was Joe Evans, Grallagh, Ballyvary.
Evans told the gardaí that he was locked in and could not get out. He said that he did not know where the car keys were and could give no explanation as to why he was in the back of the car.
Emergency personnel arrived at the scene and the fire brigade cut him out of the car. After the car was open the defendant was abusive towards the emergency staff.
It transpired that the defendant had been sitting on the keys as they were discovered in the back of the car. The engine of his car was cold, which meant that the car had been in the location for a while. The court heard that Evans had been out the night before the incident.
Evans, who is a married father, had worked in the UK in steel works and hopes to go back. The defendant has one previous conviction.
Judge Mary Devins said that the defendant’s behaviour was “bizarre and ugly and abusive” and the judge said that he acted the same when brought in to court on May 16.
Judge Devins asked how much the bill for the call out from the fire brigade was and was told that Evans received a bill for €1,500. Judge Devins said that she hoped he learned “an expensive lesson”.
Judge Devins convicted and fined him €200 for Section 6 public order.
