Man stopped drinking spirits after arrest

A MAN who had been drinking from ‘the top shelf’ thanked the gardaí for coming to his aid after he was found drunk and incapable in Skibbereen.

John Reidy (54) of Apartment 5, Fastnet Residence, Main Street, Schull, appeared in his own defence at Skibbereen District Court.

Gda Karen O’Flynn said the accused was arrested on a public intoxication charge at the old mart yard in Skibbereen on November 6th 2023.

The garda said a member of the public called them to say there was a gentleman on the ground in the car park, next to the bins, and that it was raining.

‘When we arrived, a member of the public was assisting him to his feet,’ said Gda O’Flynn. ‘He was clearly intoxicated. I arrested him for his own safety and he was as cooperative as he could.’

Court presenter Sgt Tom Mulcahy told Judge James McNulty that the accused has seven previous convictions but he had not come to the attention of the gardaí since 2017.

In his own defence, the accused said he couldn’t remember how he got that drunk. He thanked the gardaí saying: ‘They could have saved me from doing something stupid.

‘I was drinking top shelf that day – spirits. I have knocked that on the head. Beer doesn’t put me in that situation,’ he said.

Judge John King fined John Reidy €100 for the offence.