Chinese garda translates Mandarin abuse for court

A Chinese national shouted insults in Mandarin at gardaí in Cork but one of the gardaí was also Chinese and was able to provide a translation in Cork District Court of the verbal abuse.

Garda Xiao Ma gave evidence in court yesterday during a bail application by the accused man whose first name and surname were given on the charge sheet as “Unknown Unknown”.

Garda Ma said the accused gave gardaí two different names and they could not be satisfied as to his identity.

While there was uncertainty over his identity there was less uncertainty about the nature of his alleged comments during a drunken outburst on Tuesday afternoon in Cork City.

Garda Ma said he was in a marked garda car on Oliver Plunkett Street at 4.30pm on September 29 when he observed the accused man who gave ‘Andy Chan’ as his name at one stage.

“He was crossing the road roaring and shouting at the patrol car. I spoke to him in Chinese. He said to me (in Chinese), ‘fuck you, you c***. I will kill you and your entire family’,” Garda Ma testified yesterday.

The guard said there was a strong smell of alcohol from the accused and his eyes were glassy. He was arrested and he was deemed to be a source of danger to himself or others.

Garda Ma said the accused gave two different names when in garda custody at the Bridewell station afterwards.

Eddie Burke, defence solicitor, said that the accused was willing to plead guilty yesterday to being threatening, drunk and a danger and failing to give his name and address.

However, Inspector John Deasy asked for the case to be adjourned until today so that gardaí could establish his identity.

Mr Burke challenged that application but Judge Leo Malone said: “He may be illegally in this country, that is what is concerning the State, the State is entitled to know who is here.”

The judge remanded him in custody to today.

Inspector Deasy asked for the accused to give his name in court.

He gave it as Chuan Sheng Chen with a date of birth which made yesterday his 35th birthday.

His address was previously given as Douglas Street but he had spent two nights earlier this week in a woman’s house at Eagle Valley in Wilton and was welcome to return there, his solicitor said.

Mr Burke also said that the confusion about names could have arisen from the fact that the accused was known by one name among the Chinese community in Ireland but known as Andy Chan to Irish people.