Cork man with knuckleduster down his pants told garda to 'take off his badge and go around the corner'

The court heard that any time the man came to Cork City 'he would have something like that in his possession and it was very much for his own protection'

The man met Garda Bryan Crowley and Garda James O’Connell at a covid checkpoint in Cork City. File photo

A knuckleduster was concealed down a man’s pants during one incident in Cork City and in another interaction with gardaí he challenged one officer to “take off his badge and go around the corner”.

Sergeant Gearóid Davis outlined the background to both incidents at Cork District Court.