€1,000 fine for the 2am busker

A busker hoping to make a few euro by playing music in the early hours of the morning only succeeded in keeping residents awake and getting himself fined €1,000 yesterday.

The musician, who refused to stop playing despite being instructed to do so by gardaí, was also sentenced to three months’ imprisonment, which was suspended on condition he keep the peace for the next two years.

The busker caused a disturbance for city centre apartment dwellers at 2am.

Gardaí received a report of noise on Grand Parade, Cork, at 2.05am on August 29, 2015. Garda Tony Gallwey went to the area and found Mikolaj Erwin Plichinski, aged 34, playing loud music and keeping residents awake. He refused to quieten down and refused to comply with the direction given by Garda Gallwey.

He pleaded guilty to engaging in offensive conduct by causing the disturbance. He was fined €300 by Judge Leo Malone yesterday for that, and another €300 for failing to give his name and address. He got the suspended jail term for refusing to leave when directed. He also admitted another offence of having cannabis for his own use and was fined €400 for that.

Judge Leo Malone directed preparation of a probation report previously, but the accused would not cooperate with the probation service.

Gerard Hanley, solicitor, asked the judge to be as lenient as possible even though he had not cooperated with the probation service.

The accused had two previous convictions for public order offences. They also arose out of an incident back in the early hours of May 11, 2014, where he refused to stop busking, on that occasion outside the Vodafone shop at the corner of Winthrop St and Oliver Plunkett St, where a large group of people began singing and dancing to the music played by the defendant and others.