Judge: Man’s brains fried from far too much weed

A man who was rambling and bleeding in front of cars and was then pepper sprayed three times by gardaí as he resisted arrest, later tried to grab a pair of scissors while refusing medical treatment in hospital.

On a separate occasion David Blackwell, a 52-year-old who lives in a caravan at Cooranig, Dunmanway in West Cork, was found stealing an axe from the garage of a private house. On being arrested afterwards, he told gardaí he remembered finding himself in the garage “looking for a game of darts” in what he described as a “flashback situation”.

A judge yesterday said of Mr Blackwell: “He has smoked far too much weed and he has fried his brains, or cooked them to a stage where it is on the ‘well done’ side.”

Mr Blackwell, originally from the UK but living in Ireland for 13 years, came before Skibbereen District Court in relation to an incident on October 13 last at Togher Cross, in Dunmanway.

Garda Kieran O’Callaghan told Judge James McNulty that he responded to calls about a man covered in blood and wandering in front of traffic. Arriving at the scene at 1.20pm, gardaí saw Mr Blackwell pacing around and looking “agitated”. He shouted verbal abuse at gardaí, sometimes clenching his fists and growling. As he grew more aggressive, Grda O’Callaghan warned Mr Blackwell and when the man came towards him, he issued a first burst of pepper spray into his face. Grda O’Callaghan said it had “no effect”.

Gardaí monitored Mr Blackwell from a distance as he waded across a stream and stayed in a field. The court heard he came at gardaí again, and was again pepper sprayed. Once again it appeared to have no impact, and Mr Blackwell left only to come back “with a vengeance”, when he was pepper sprayed for a third time. More gardaí had arrived at the scene and Mr Blackwell was arrested. Gardaí also noticed a knife in his back pocket, in a sheath, although it was not produced in the incident.

The man was taken to Bantry Hospital by gardaí. There he refused treatment and when a doctor brought over some medical equipment he tried to grab a pair of scissors. He also threw blood at the walls and floor.

He was then taken to Bantry Garda Station, following what Garda O’Callaghan said was a “prolonged episode”.

Giving evidence Mr Blackwell said he had not wanted medical treatment and denied he was a risk to anyone. He said the pepper spray had hurt and that at the hospital “I didn’t want to be injected with bits and bobs”.

The court heard he lived an alternative, often solitary lifestyle and had an anti-authority personality. He told the court his hand was bleeding because he had cut it and that he’d gone to that part of Dunmanway to buy a lighter. The court also heard he had 16 previous convictions, predominantly for drugs offences, while a psychiatric report indicated he may be suffering from a condition linked to drug and alcohol withdrawal.

Judge McNulty said Mr Blackwell’s offending was “escalating” and this episode was a “grave matter”.“This is like a bad night in Temple Bar, but it’s in West Cork in daytime,” he said, sentencing Mr Blackwell to three months in prison for the incident in Togher Cross and another three months for his actions in Bantry Hospital, to be served consecutively.

The court also heard that on June 13 last Mr Blackwell was spotted entering a garage at 10.15pm, prompting the householder to tell his wife to lock the door of the house and call gardaí. The male householder picked up an imitation samurai sword and spotted Mr Blackwell taking an axe from the garage. The homeowner shouted at him and he dropped the axe, replying “no violence, no violence”. He was later arrested and told gardaí he “must have had something”, adding: “I don’t know why I was so trolleyed, to be honest.”

He was also convicted in relation to that incident, with sentencing deferred until February 9 next.