A Claremorris man who engaged in a torrent of abuse towards gardai after they asked him for his name and address had sentencing against him adjourned until June by Judge Mary Devins in Castlebar District Court this week.
Sgt Regina Carley told the court that on March 10 2013 gardai were called to the McWilliam Park Hotel at 3.25am. At the scene Gerry Kelly, 8 Railway Lodge Apartments, Ballindine Road, Claremorris, was pointed out to them as someone who was involved in a disturbance. She told the court she approached Kelly and asked him for his name and address and he told her that it was none of her business. Garda Coen arrived on the scene and said Kelly proceeded to say to him “go away you bollox and go f**k yourself”. Garda Coen subsequently arrested him under the Public Order Act. Kelly then threatened Garda Coen saying that he would “have him done” and “his family done.”
The gardai managed to get Kelly into the car and brought him to Claremorris Garda Station after a short struggle. When they got him to the station and he was being proceeded he continued to abuse the gardai, and while his rights were being read to him by Garda Asumpta Hynes he bit the notice of rights out of her hands. Sgt Carley said that he was very abusive towards Garda Hynes and she would not repeat in open court some of the things he said. While being processed Kelly told gardai he would have all their jobs when he got his day in court with Judge Judy Devins.
Sgt Carley said that after a while Kelly calmed down and became a different person, and that he was very apologetic the next morning when he was being released. Judge Devins asked Sgt Carley if she thought there was something more involved in his behaviour than just alcohol, to which Sgt Carley replied she would believe so.
Solicitor of Kelly, Ms Cathy McDarby, told the court that her client was a 55-year-old single man who had been out socialising on the night and drank very little because of a medical condition. She said her client had been talking to a woman at the bar and went to the toilet and remembers finishing off the drink he had and nothing after that. She said her client believed his drink was spiked, but had no proof of such. Judge Devins put the matter back for six months.
