Drunk student rescued from department store roof

Members of the gardaí, Cork fire brigade, and security personnel had to cordon off part of the city centre when a drunken teenager climbed on to the roof of Debenham’s department store in the early hours of the morning.

Inspector Mary King said the 18-year-old climbed on to the roof of the city centre building at 2am and emergency services were called.

“He scaled a scaffolding and accessed the roof of Debenham’s. He was on the roof of Debenham’s walking between roofs,” Insp King said yesterday at Cork District Court.

A fire brigade hoist brought gardaí to the roof where they found the teenager in an extremely intoxicated condition and they brought him back down and arrested him for his own safety.

An 18-year-old from Co Kerry pleaded guilty to three charges arising out of the incident on October 17, 2014.

He admitted being drunk and a source of danger, engaging in offensive conduct by climbing on to the roof and putting himself and others in grave danger and trespassing on the curtilage of the building.

Diarmuid Kelleher, defence solicitor, said the student was never in trouble before and had no previous convictions.

Judge Con O’Leary said that in all the circumstances, he would give the defendant the benefit of a dismissal of the charges under the Probation of Offenders Act.