Cavan man to be sentenced for intimidation in April

A Cavan man who was convicted by a jury of intimidating his former flatmate arising out of a stabbing incident following the 2004 All-Ireland Football Final between Mayo and Kerry will be sentenced in April.

Tim Cawley (aged 24), formerly of John Paul Avenue, Cavan Town and with an address at North Circular Road, Phibsboro was found guilty earlier this month on two charges of intimidating Mr Michael Irwin in January 2005 with the intention of perverting the course of justice.

Cawley sent mobile phone text messages to Mr Irwin, a native of Bellmullet, Co Mayo, to try to get him to withdraw a statement he made to gardaí that he saw Cawley stab someone following the 2004 All-Ireland Football Final. One of the threats was directed towards Mr Irwin’s mother.

Judge Tony Hunt said he regarded the threat to Mr Irwin’s mother as "particularly sinister" and noted that Cawley’s sentence in this case had to be consecutive to his current three-years cocaine sentence.

He said the reports on Cawley showed he had potential but hadn’t yet been able to channel his energies and ability in the correct direction. He had been in Dublin Circuit Criminal Court a number of times already in his early 20s "without even graduating from the District Court".

Judge Hunt adjourned sentence to a date in April so that a probation report could be prepared and remanded Cawley in continued custody.

Cawley was found not guilty on two charges of threatening to kill Mr Irwin on January 5 and 9, 2005 and on three further counts of intimidating him.

The jury was told during the five-day hearing that Cawley was acquitted by another jury of the stabbing charge after a trial in which Mr Irwin gave evidence.

Cawley claimed that the stabbing was carried out by Mr Irwin but this claim was totally rejected by Detective Inspector Colm Fox who said in evidence that Mr Irwin had nothing to do with it and that Cawley’s allegation was completely false.

Defence counsel, Mr Eoin Hardiman BL, said Cawley had asked him to convey his apology to Mr Irwin for his threats and his false allegation against him concerning the stabbing

Garda Sheelagh Sheehan told prosecuting counsel, Ms Fiona Murphy BL, that Cawley was on bail on a drugs charge when he made the threats using a phone he had borrowed from a friend.

Garda Sheehan said the victim impact report showed that the threat had a psychological effect on Mr Irwin. He knew it had come from Cawley who when arrested denied he had made it.

Garda Sheehan told Ms Murphy that Cawley was given a three years suspended term in July 2006 for having cocaine valued €2,000 and this sentence was activated in October as a result of his new offending. His six previous convictions also included theft, assault and road traffic offences.