A 999 emergency call recorded an Enniskeane man threatening to shoot the occupants of a house in Clonakilty unless they let him in.
Michael Foley of Teadies Upper, Enniskeane pleaded guilty to a number of offences including several public order charges and a burglary charge, at Clonakilty District Court recently.
Sgt Paul Kelly told the court that on July 9th last Samantha Kelly was at her home in Clonakilty with her 11-year-old son when she heard a loud bang on the front door.
‘She opened it up slightly and an unknown male was outside shouting and roaring and trying to push the door in.
‘She called her son who was still awake to help her prevent the man from entering the house,’ said Sgt Kelly.
‘She got her son to call 999 and the call recorded the defendant telling them: “If you don’t let me in I’ll f****** shoot ye” and this recording was later passed onto gardaí.’
Solicitor Myra Dinneen said her client, who had been visiting his father in Clonakilty, had ‘little or no memory of it’ and believed on the night that people were following him.
‘I know it’s not acceptable what he did and it’s all down to drink, but things are going well for him now,’ said Ms Dinneen.
Judge Colm Roberts then took issue with the defendant who shook his head in court when the threat was read out to the court.
‘When someone has an alcohol problem, he should be quicker to say he could have done those things and that shows concern for me,’ said Judge Roberts.
The defendant’s phone also went off in court and Judge Roberts told him he should ‘know better’.
The court heard the defendant has 36 previous convictions for being drunk in a public place, a record that Judge Roberts described as ‘atrocious.’
Mr Foley told the court he hasn’t drank since Christmas, but Sgt Kelly interjected and said the accused was arrested in Cork last month for being drunk in a public place.
Judge Roberts said this case was so serious that it warranted a victim impact statement from the injured party.
‘We can’t ignore the trauma they endured. He threatened to shoot them if they didn’t open the door,’ said Judge Roberts.
Judge Roberts convicted and fined him €350 for being drunk in a public place and adjourned the burglary and the second public order charge for further consideration as well as a victim impact statement until March 16th.
Mr Foley was also fined €250 for being drunk in Dunmanway on March 11th last, after gardaí found him and another female on the ground outside a betting shop on Market Square.
When gardaí tried to assist him, he was very drunk and became abusive to them and eventually arrested him.
