A man who said he wasn't addicted to anything, yet admitted a problem with alcohol, was sentenced to two months in jail for Paddy's Day public order shenanigans when the judge learned he still had a €1,000 fine outstanding from January.
“Can you not stop lifting your elbows? Maybe if you tied a few concrete blocks to your hands,” said Judge John Neilan when sentencing Eamonn Cunniffe (25 ) of 28, The Orchard, Ballymahon Road, Athlone in the District Court this week (June 3 ).
The court heard how Cunniffe was arrested just before midnight on the night in question on the Town Bridge for being “very drunk and abusive”.
After he entered a guilty plea, Inspector Jarlath Folan informed the judge of Cunniffe's 11 previous convictions.
First of these was one for criminal damage, handed down on January 8, for which the €1,000 fine, which he had been given four months to dispense with, was still unpaid.
His solicitor, Mr Padraig Quinn, told the court how his client accepted he had drink on board and “he reacted very badly” to the gardai that night but that he had recently achieved a FETAC qualification and was registered with FAS.
“I'm not in the least bit interested. I'm not going to have Mr Cunniffe carrying on like this. He has to go to prison today,” thundered Judge Neilan.
“It's an interesting insight that he hasn't even applied for an extension on the [€1,000] fine...Had you gone to prison the first time, you wouldn't be here now.”
He sent him down for two months, setting personal bail at €300 and an independent surety at €900.
“Would you ever take yourself out and give yourself a good shake,” was the judge's parting advice.
