Jail for Cork man arrested twice in one day

Judge James McNulty heard that at John O'Driscoll was at Dan Corkery Place and was observed to be "staggering around" by gardaí who arrived at the scene. File image. 

A man arrested for drunkenly trying to enter his mother's house later headbutted an officer in a Garda station, was released, and was later arrested again for public order offences.

Bantry District Court was told that following the incident at Bantry Garda Station, John O'Driscoll had stopped a taxi that was taking him back to Macroom, Co Cork, to buy more alcohol, which he then consumed before coming to Garda attention again, leading to his second arrest of the day.

O'Driscoll, aged 39, and with a previous address at 5 Dan Corkery Place, Macroom, but now living in Tralee, Co Kerry, pleaded guilty to the charges.

Judge James McNulty heard that at 3.30pm on April 2, O'Driscoll was at Dan Corkery Place and was observed to be "staggering around" by gardaí who arrived at the scene. 

Sgt Brian Harte told the court O'Driscoll had been trying to gain entry to his mother's house, but she had prevented him from doing so.

The court heard that later, after his release from Bantry Garda Station, at Lissacreasig, Macroom, he was again found wandering around in an intoxicated state and arrested. Sgt Harte said that O'Driscoll had been in a taxi returning to Macroom, asked the driver to stop, purchased alcohol and drank it, with the taxi driver asking him to leave the vehicle.

The court heard that in between these two incidents, O'Driscoll had obstructed gardaí at Bantry Garda Station and had headbutted one officer.

Sgt Harte said O'Driscoll had become violent at the station and while handcuffed and as gardaí attempted to put him in a cell, he had "lunged forward" and headbutted a garda in the temple area.

The court heard that Mr O'Driscoll had previously served time in prison for manslaughter 

The court heard O'Driscoll had 105 previous convictions, including 35 for different public order offences. The court was also told that he had served a six-year jail sentence for manslaughter.

His solicitor, Patrick Goold, said his client had apologised for the incident at the Garda station, which he said had been accidental. O'Driscoll himself told the judge: "I just fell towards him."

O'Driscoll also said that since he had moved to Tralee last April, his life had improved and that he had apologised to the garda he struck in Bantry the day after the incident took place.

Mr Goold said his client accepted he had a "terrible record", and that he had taken steps to address addiction issue and "accepts that when drunk, he loses control".

He asked for leniency on the part of his client, but Judge McNulty said that apart from an early plea of guilty, he could not think of any mitigating factors.

He referred to O'Driscoll's "long-suffering mother" who, he said, "has been mortified on numerous occasions by John's misconduct and she is tired of it".

The judge sentenced O'Driscoll to two months in prison for the public order charges, saying the sentences could be served together, but he also sentenced him to five months in prison on the charge of obstructing gardaí and the assault charge, stating that those sentences, while running together, needed to be served after the two-month jail term.

Any appeal to be lodged was on O'Driscoll's own bond of €100 and an independent surety to be approved by the court of €1,500, one third in cash.

The judge said another condition of any release on appeal would be that O'Driscoll remains out of Macroom and not visit his mother.