A KINSALE man who urinated in a garda cell in Bandon was back there within four days causing damage to the cell with a Stanley knife which was hidden in his underpants, a court heard.
Ryan McCarthy (37) of 2 St Mary’s Terrace, Kinsale pleaded guilty to a number of charges at a reacent sitting of Bandon District court including assault, criminal damage, obstructing a search and numerous public order offences and was handed down a 15 months sentence by Judge James McNulty.
Sgt Paul Kelly told the court that on March 6th last at 10.15pm Gda Fergal Dowling was on patrol at Pier Rd in Kinsale when he saw the defendant who was in a drunken state.
‘Gda Dowling approached him and following his observations he carried out a search of him and saw him put his right hand into his right pocket and remove tablets and throw them over a wall,’ said Sgt Kelly.
‘However, Gda Dowling managed to retrieve them and they turned out to be 24 sleeping tablets.
‘Mr McCarthy denied they were his and he was highly drunk and had earlier been ejected from a nearby bar.’
The court heard that he was arrested and brought to Bandon Garda Station and after being processed, he urinated on the cell door and floor.
‘The urine poured out under the cell door and onto the corridor of the garda station.’
Sgt Kelly said that four days later on March 10th, Gda Cormac Dineen was on patrol in Kinsale when he came across the defendant in Guardwell.
‘He was shouting and roaring and said he was going to murder his family and that all gardaí in Kinsale are rats,’ said the garda.
‘He was very drunk and was arrested for public order offending,’ said Sgt Kelly.
‘Gda Dineen had been on foot patrol so he walked Mr McCarthy back to the station and he continued to be abusive forcing Gda Dineen to call for back up from Bandon gardaí. He was brought to Bandon Garda Station and placed in a cell there.’
Following an inspection of the cell, gardaí found that the cell wall was damaged and following a search of Mr McCarthy, they found a Stanley knife in his underpants, which he had used to scrape the wall and write graffiti on it.
Mr McCarthy also faced an assault charge on a man in Kinsale.
The court heard he has 49 previous convictions and has received the benefit of the Probation Act on three occasions before.
Sgt Kelly added that all the offences before the court were committed while Mr McCarthy was a on suspended sentence, handed down to him at Bandon District Court on June 4th 2020.
Solicitor Myra Dinneen said her client deeply regrets his offending and that his aggression wasn’t appropriate and caused upset to people and that his behaviour to gardaí was ‘unacceptable.’
‘He has a history of alcohol use and prescription tables and is on medication for anxiety. He couldn’t justify his behaviour to third parties and the gardaí in the cold light of the day,’ said Ms Dinneen.
Judge McNulty said that sadly the court has heard this before about Mr McCarthy and that he is causing ‘disorder and disruption in Kinsale.’
Judge McNulty sentenced him to total of 15 months in prison for criminal damage, assault, the possession of a weapon, obstructing a search as well as public order offences.
