A DISTRICT court judge described the actions of a North Cork man who stole car keys from a bar counter in Dunmanway and later crashed his car into a wall as ‘shocking’ and said there was ‘no logic’ to the ‘carry-on’.
Judge Marie Keane was dealing with the case of Brian Roche at Clonakilty District Court recently.
Mr Roche (30) of 47 Pairc na gCapaill, Kilworth pleaded guilty to the theft of the car keys and criminal damage following a weekend visit to West Cork. Sgt Tom Mulcahy told the court that at 9.50pm on June 15th gardaí in Dunmanway were requested to attend an incident at Quarry Road in the town.
‘The defendant and the injured party were present and she said he had taken her car keys from the bar counter in the Southern Bar, which was all caught on CCTV,’ said Sgt Mulcahy. It transpired that Mr Roche threw the car keys over the wall into bushes and they were not recovered. The court also heard that he had crashed his car into the wall of a private property outside the town.
‘He spoke with the owner of the property and got a lift back into town and was later arrested by gardaí as he was a danger to himself.’
The court heard Mr Roche had no previous convictions. Judge Marie Keane wondered what it was all about. Sgt Mulcahy said that there had been no interaction between the defendant and the injured party in the bar and that all she wanted was her car keys back.
Defence solicitor Daithí Ó Donnabhàin said this was a ‘very unusual’ case and ‘very much an aberration, fuelled by alcohol’.
He said his client has a clean record, works in Little Island and rents a property near his parents’ home in North Cork. He handed into court a reference from a local charity and said his client is involved in vintage tractor charity runs in his area.
‘He has very little recollection of taking the car keys, but accepts that he did. He has paid €900 compensation to the owner of the wall, and has brought €415 into court for the motorist to cover the cost of buying new car keys,’ he said.
Mr O’Donnabhàin said his client is ‘very apologetic’ and had been on a weekend away in West Cork and had gone sea swimming also.
Judge Keane described it as ‘shocking behaviour’ for anyone to take someone’s car keys.
‘There’s no logic to this type of carry-on,’ said the judge.
Judge Keane noted the guilty plea and the fact that the defendant had paid compensation to the two injured parties.
She directed him to donate €500 to Marymount Hospice within 14 days.
Mr Roche was remanded on continuing bail to appear in court on July 16th and was told by Judge Keane that if the donation is paid, she will strike out the case.
