Mother in fear of son who ‘will drink again’

A young Corkman who has self-harmed was remanded in custody yesterday for allegedly putting his mother in fear at the family home.

Judge Patricia McNamara said, after hearing evidence at an in-camera hearing in Cork District Court yesterday:

His mother fears he would come to her house. He becomes aggressive and violent. He has gone to the knife drawer and has mental health difficulties. I cannot be satisfied he would abide by conditions. I am going to refuse bail.

Sgt John Kelleher said the accused had been on bail charged with two breaches of his mother’s safety order, once in January and the other in March. This new charge, referring to April 1, is his third alleged breach of the safety order.

Sgt Kelleher said it was a sensitive case which Judge Olann Kelleher had adjourned to see how the defendant would get on with strict bail conditions over him.

Judge Patricia McNamara was dealing with yesterday’s case and she heard evidence from the young man’s mother about her concerns if he was given bail again.

“I don’t think I would be in a position to stop him coming in. He would comply for a day or two, or slightly longer. Inevitably, he will drink again. He will become aggressive, violent, threatening, and bullying again. I have seen this behaviour repeating, regardless of safety orders.

“He gets angry. He rushes at me. He self-harms and bullies me to say it is my fault,” his mother said.

Defence solicitor, Shane Collins Daly, said the plan was to get him on a 28-day residential treatment programme.

The judge was asked to recommend to the prison service that he be held at the Vulnerable Persons Unit and be given whatever care was needed.

His mother said: “He is very vulnerable. He self-harms in stressful situations. He has severe anxiety in custody.”