Man who 'aggressively pushed' wheelchair-user around Cork given more time in rehab

The woman was rescued after she showed a shop assistant a text that read: “He followed me to the shop.” 

The woman told gardaí that this man kept pushing her around in her wheelchair. File photo

A woman in a wheelchair was put in fear by a drunken man who decided to push her across the road and around the streets in Cork City, but now he is tending to his drink problem. 

Defence solicitor, Joseph Cuddigan, confirmed today that the accused man continued to remain free of alcohol at St. Helen’s in Blarney and was about to undergo treatment at Tabor Lodge.

In those circumstances, Judge Olann Kelleher agreed to put sentencing back until July 7 to allow for that process to continue.

Pavels Saveljevs with at an address at Cork Simon Community will be sentenced on that date to charges of being intoxicated to such an extent that he was a danger and engaging in threatening behaviour.

Sergeant John Kelleher said gardaí were alerted to the incident which occurred at around 10pm on January 13 in the Douglas Street area.

Sgt Kelleher said at Cork District Court: “A lady in a wheelchair was approached by a man who pushed her chair along, making her feel very uncomfortable.

“The woman said in her statement that she was approached by a man she did not know. She said ‘He aggressively pushed my chair across the road. He asked me what I was doing and I said I was getting my stuff for my lunch. He asked where I was going. I said Aldi. He said Aldi would be closed. I asked him to leave me alone, He replied, no.’” 

The wheelchair-user told gardaí that this man kept pushing her around in her wheelchair.

She went to a local shop and got all her messages but the stranger was still present in the shop while she was doing so.

The woman was too afraid to speak up to the man working behind the counter about the unwanted attention she was getting from this stranger.

She managed to type out a text on her phone which she showed to the shop assistant. It read: “He followed me to the shop.” 

By this time the shop assistant and two men who were present in the shop became aware that something was wrong and they came to her assistance.

Pavels Saveljevs became abusive to the men in the shop who assisted the woman.