Self-styled Cork vigilante jailed after drunken heroin ‘bust’

A self-styled vigilante was jailed yesterday for a bizarre incident where he armed himself with a knife and kicked in what he thought was the door of a heroin dealer’s home — but he got the wrong address.

Judge Séan Ó Donnabháin sentenced Jamie O’Keeffe, formerly of 219 Comeragh Park, The Glen, Cork, to three years in prison with half of it suspended.

Sinead Behan, defence barrister, said of the accused: “He is a very talented artist. He doesn’t seem to get into difficulty now that he is living in Macroom with his girlfriend.”

Judge Ó Donnabháin said: “This was a somewhat bizarre incident. When drunk he arms himself with a knife. He thought illicit behaviour was taking place in this apartment. When confronted he left. The fact that a man in his state of delirium would arm himself with a knife is significantly worrying.

“Because of his alcohol and substance abuse and getting involved in this behaviour, he is regarded as a high risk of reoffending.

“In all the circumstances, I will impose a sentence of three years, 18 months of which I will suspend on condition that he enters a residential treatment centre on his release.”

Detective Sergeant Vincent O’Sullivan agreed earlier this month that the crime itself was “mad stuff”. O’Keeffe had been drinking on the beach in Youghal, Co Cork, and came up with the idea to rid a building in Cork of heroin dealing.

As well as taking the law into his own hands, he also found himself smashing his way into the wrong apartment.

Det Sgt O’Sullivan said that 11pm on June 25, 2015 he went to an old Georgian building on Windsor Place in Cork which is subdivided into apartments.

“He was very drunk. They [the people in the apartment] were not too sure what he was on about. He is easy enough to deal with when he is sober,” the detective said.