A 24-year-old Mullingar man was fined €500 for a criminal damage offence, by Judge John Neilan at the local court last week.
Joseph Rooney, 108 College Hill, was convicted of damaging the rear windscreen wiper on a motor vehicle, the property of Frank Watters, at Harbour Street, Mullingar, on December 16 2007.
The defendant was fined €400 for being intoxicated on the same occasion. A second criminal damage charge, that of damaging the rear windscreen and driver's side mirror on a vehicle the property of Barry Watters on the same date, was taken into consideration.
Inspector Jarlath Folan told the court that the defendant was observed interfering with vehicles in the driveway of a house at Harbour Street, Mullingar.
He threw a patio slab through the rear windscreen of one of the vehicles. It was a random incident, although Joseph Rooney has a previous conviction for careless driving.
Ms Patricia Cronin, solicitor, noted that her client had the balance of compensation in court for the injured parties. The incident occurred on a Sunday night/ Monday morning and the defendant was very drunk. He co-operated with gardai at the time and apologised to them. Her client who is not working, has not come to Garda attention since then.
