Six weeks in jail is the price to be paid for disrespecting gardaí in Mullingar.
Judge Seamus Hughes was clearly unimpressed with reports of the behaviour of a young Mullingar man who implied that he had “a serious problem” with a Rochfortbridge garda, even though the garda hadn’t dealt with him in several years.
Dubravko Ostojic of Cathedral View admitted that on July 7 this year he’d been walking on the N52 with a number of friends when Garda Brendan Minnock drove by.
Ostojic was drinking from a can and was clearly intoxicated, Mullingar District Court heard.
It was 10pm on a Sunday night and Ostojic told the garda to f*** off, before threatening to hit him and smash his car.
Garda Minnock, who was alone at the time, had to call for assistance to deal with Ostojic who has 27 previous convictions for offences including burglary, criminal damage, and public order violations.
Judge Hughes remembered Ostojic and his previous appearances in court where he had been causing his mother “all sorts of trouble”.
But solicitor Louis Kiernan said his young client’s behaviour has improved since those days and gardaí aren’t called to deal with family disturbances in the way they used to be.
But Mr Kiernan admitted that Ostojic’s relationship with his mother is “up and down”.
Judge Hughes quizzed Garda Minnock, asking if he had been transferred from Rochfortbridge to Mullingar, but the officer said he hadn’t been.
While he had many dealings with Ostojic in 2010 and 2011 he hadn’t seen him at all in the last year and hadn’t been involved in the last five prosecutions before the court.
Ostojic, who hails from Croatia, had been at the lake with his friends on the day, Mr Kiernan said, adding that his client wasn’t drunk to the point where he had been a danger to anyone.
He said Ostojic went quietly when extra gardaí arrived at the scene, and knows he could have handled the situation better.
“He was just angry that day,” Mr Kiernan said.
“I don’t know when he will learn,” observed the judge, who pointed out that Ostojic had previously been jailed for two months for threatening, abusive behaviour.
“Have respect for the Gardaí,” said the judge as he imposed a six week sentence for threatening behaviour.
