Romanian man told to leave Ireland or face prison for begging in Cork City

The court heard the accused was pleading guilty at the earliest opportunity and was anxious to leave the country as his mother was seriously ill back home in Romania

The court heard that it was the fourth time the man was found begging in the city.

A 47-year-old Romanian national who was found begging in Cork City for the fourth time was given a jail sentence that was suspended on condition that he would leave the country within one month.

When first charged, he replied to the garda who prosecuted him for obstructing pedestrians by begging: “I was singing.” Judge Mary Dorgan was told by the prosecution that what the accused man was doing did not constitute singing on the occasion.

Marian Hangalet, of no fixed address, said at Cork District Court through a Romanian interpreter that he had come into Ireland two weeks ago. He said he would return home but that he had no money to do so.

The 47-year-old said he came to Ireland on the promise of work in car-washing in Dublin but that this did not work out for him.

“I came here from Dublin with a friend who had a court date here in Cork,” Mr Hangalet said through an interpreter.

Sergeant Gearóid Davis put it to the accused that his evidence was that he had come to Ireland two weeks ago. 

However, the sergeant said: “You have been before this court on a number of occasions and convicted on three separate occasions for begging – on October 9, 2021, on August 11, 2022, and on November 3, 2022. How can you explain this?” 

The accused said that he had been in Ireland a number of times but on this last occasion he arrived in the country two weeks ago.

On Friday, Judge Mary Dorgan imposed a three-week jail term suspended on condition that he would leave Ireland. He pleaded guilty to blocking the free passage of pedestrians by begging on St Patrick’s Street, Cork, on April 3.

Shane Collins-Daly said the accused was pleading guilty at the earliest opportunity and was anxious to leave the country as his mother was seriously ill back home in Romania.