A one month sentence, suspended for two years has been handed down to a Mullingar man whose appearance didn’t impress Judge Seamus Hughes.
“There’s a cut to his jib I don’t like,” observed the Mayo man as he heard how Derek Donoghue, 2 O’Connell Terrace had needed two Garda cars, or two thirds of the Mullingar fleet, to deal with his abusive behaviour.
On March 22 he and three friends were seen leaving the scene of an altercation at Cosgrave’s pub at around 12.30am and on seeing gardaí, O’Connell ran onto the street and smashed a pint glass on the ground.
He then began beckoning to people on the street, Inspector Dermot Drea said.
Garda Neil Donnellan said Donoghue got aggressive when he saw the patrol car, and when gardaí tried to deal with him, he struggled and they had to call for assistance.
His two friends shouted at gardaí to let Donoghue go, but they did not lay a hand on gardaí and Donoghue initially wouldn’t get into the Garda car.
His attitude improved at the Garda station.
Mr Louis Kiernan said his client wanted to apologise for his behaviour, and while he acknowledged his previous convictions, said they had been a long while ago.
Donoghue has served 10 weeks of a 12 week sentence for threatening behaviour and also has convictions for assault causing harm, drug possession, and other public order offences going back to 2009.
Mr Kiernan said Donoghue lives with his grandmother and has been battling with alcohol for some time.
He lost his factory job around three years ago and while he had been off alcohol for most of the year, he had a slip on the night he met gardaí.
But he has little memory of what happened.
Fining him €200 along with the suspended sentence, Judge Hughes said Donoghue will go to prison if there are any further incidents and reminded the 26-year-old that 66 per cent of Garda resources were required to restrain him.
“It won't happen again,” the young man said.
