A man with 14 previous convictions and a suspended sentence from the Circuit Court was sent back to the Circuit Court after he pleaded guilty to two public order offences in Ballina District Court this week.
Superintendent Joe Doherty told the court that on October 26 at 2.29am gardai saw Jake Smyth with an address at Stonehall, Foxford, County Mayo, intoxicated and shouting in the middle of the road at Ridgepool Road in Ballina. Gardai approached him and directed him to leave the area but he became threatening and abusive to the gardai and he spat at the Garda patrol car and told them to "go and do innocent people for having no tax and insurance". He eventually left the area.
However at 3.05am Gardai were on patrol again at O'Rahilly Street in Ballina and Smyth walked out in front of a Garda van and started banging on it. Smyth was once again very intoxicated and abusive towards the Gardai and they had to use pepper spray on him and handcuffs to restrain him and remove him for his own safety.
Judge Mary Devins was informed that Smyth had 14 previous convictions and there was a suspended sentence imposed on him in the Circuit Court for one of these offences. She remanded him in Garda custody to be brought before the next sitting of the Circuit Court for this to be dealt with by the court.
