West Cork man threatened to cut up garda with chainsaw
Darren Browne, of Cashel, Leap in West Cork, pleaded guilty at Skibbereen District Court to an assault on a garda and to obstructing gardaí in carrying out their duties. Picture: File
A man who threatened to cut up a garda with a chainsaw had suffered "a series of unfortunate events" in the run-up to the incident, including being mugged and breaking his back.
Darren Browne, of Cashel, Leap in West Cork, pleaded guilty at Skibbereen District Court to an assault on the garda and to obstructing gardaí in carrying out their duties.
It related to an incident on August 16 last year when two gardaí attended at the home of the Browne family on a number of occasions.
Sgt Paul Kelly told the court that on the second call-out the two gardaí, Joan O'Sullivan and Trish Grimes, were told Mr Browne had fled the area but when they searched they found him in a disused car at the rear of the farm.
By this time, the gardaí were joined by Garda Martin Cronin.
The gardaí were escorting Mr Browne to the patrol car when he called Garda Cronin a "fucking c**t" and said, "I will get the chainsaw and cut you up".
Garda Cronin received a kick to the groin but Sgt Kelly said the injuries were minor in nature and did not affect his attendance at work. Garda Cronin had declined an invitation to make a victim impact statement.
Mr Browne, aged 39, had two previous drink-driving convictions and is currently disqualified from driving and his solicitor, Colette McCarthy, said: "Alcohol is Darren's poison and has been for a long time."
She told Judge McNulty that her client had "inexplicably lashed out" when matters had been unfolding normally until that point.
She said Mr Browne had suffered two very serious accidents, one a broken back caused when a cow kneeled on him.
He had not taken his pain medication for a number of days prior to the incident and then took it on the night in question and had also drank alcohol, having been sober for five months to that point.
Ms McCarthy said that when Garda Cronin placed his hands on Mr Browne, he had wrongly perceived it as something other than what it was.
She said Mr Browne, who had actually made the second call to gardaí on the night of the incident, had later had a serious fall from the scaffolding which had fractured his hip, and some months before the incident in question he had been mugged in Dublin.
A letter from addiction counsellor Robbie Field was provided to the judge and Ms McCarthy said Mr Browne was engaging in addressing his alcohol use, and had been acting as secretary to his local AA meeting before the incident.
Judge McNulty said Mr Browne needed time and space and added: "He has had a series of unfortunate events."
He said Mr Browne did not need to fear any adverse consequences in court and needed to focus on his recovery.
On the charge of obstruction of gardaí, he placed him on a probation bond for one year with Probation Service supervision.
A probation report will be prepared for the court by May 10 next, with the deferring of conviction and penalty on the assault charge also until that date.
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