A 29-year-old Mullingar man has been asked to make a €500 contribution to the women’s refuge in Mullingar after pleading guilty to public order offences involving his girlfriend.
Judge Neilan said at Friday’s meeting of Mullingar District Court he did not think the man’s apology was appropriate when he humiliated, intimidated and harassed her to the extent he did.
Gerard Lambden of 86 Chestnut Drive was seen shouting and swearing at his girlfriend on Austin Friars Street at 12.40am on December 13.
He wouldn’t let her go and was holding her back as she attempted to go up the street. He said he wanted to be arrested and began taking off his top. He later apologised a number of times.
He has previous convictions for having no insurance and for drink-driving.
Mr Louis Kiernan said the prominent local soccer player, who is still with his girlfriend had been in gainful employment as a carpenter for ten years and the incident was embarrassing for him.
Judge Neilan advised Mr Lambden that he was a “female abuser” and asked him to imagine what kind of nightmare is visited on women inside four walls if people like him were prepared to treat women in the way he did on a public thoroughfare.
He said Mr Lambden was not embarrassed and that “the truth comes out.”
Commenting on the “humiliating and degrading treatment” he had exposed his girlfriend to, he ordered him to make a voluntary payment to Teach Fáilte before the end of the month.
He said the service does “excellent work” in “picking up the pieces that are left behind after people like Mr Lambden,” and justice would be best served by the payment to the refuge.
He gave Mr Kiernan liberty to re-enter the case if his client did not make the payment.
