'You are causing a lot of difficulty for a lot of people in Bandon', judge tells woman who shouted abuse at gardaí

Woman before the court now 'a different person' after issues with alcohol and drugs sent her into 'a different stratosphere'

Gardaí were called to the Riverview Shopping Centre in Bandon at 4.45pm on April 30,  where they found the defendant behaving in a threatening and abusive manner. File picture: Andy Gibson

A woman who shouted abuse at gardaí in a shopping centre in Cork has told the district court she wants her life back after being repeatedly arrested for public order offences.

Sergeant Eimear O’Connell told Bandon District Court that gardaí were called to Riverview Shopping Centre in Bandon at 4.45pm on April 30, 2026. They found Rosemarie Howick, aged 48, of Castle View, Kilbrittain, Co Cork, behaving in a threatening and abusive manner.

Howick was “banging into and kicking at people”, unsteady on her feet, slurring her words, and appeared to be highly intoxicated. When gardaí attempted to arrest her for her own safety and the safety of the public, she began shouting abuse at them.

Howick also grabbed the radio of one of the gardaí.

 The court was told Howick was arrested for public intoxication and threatening and abusive behaviour for a separate incident on April 16, 2026.

The court heard Howick had 44 previous convictions, including 11 for threatening and abusive behaviour, and nine for public intoxication. Howick was also the subject of a suspended sentence at the time of the incidents.

Plunkett Taaffe, defending, said Howick came before the court “a different person” and now accepted she needed to address her diagnosis of bipolar disorder, and issues with alcohol and drugs, which he said “send her into a different stratosphere”. 

Howick said she had lost 10 years of her life. She said she completely changed, lost her business, and began drinking and taking drugs, adding: “I don’t want to be this anymore.” 

Howick told the court: “I can’t believe I’m in this situation, I can’t believe I did drugs again and I want my life back.” 

Judge Joanne Carroll said it was the first time Howick had appeared in court and “been any way reasonable” and noted she had spent time in custody prior to the hearing. 

The judge said she would have to activate the suspended three-month sentence that Howick received on September 25, 2025, and would backdate the commencement of the sentence to May 7, 2026, when she went into custody. 

For the obstruction charge in the shopping centre, Howick was sentenced to three months, with the last two months suspended for 18 months. She received the same sentence for threatening and abusive behaviour. The public intoxication charge was taken into consideration.

The judge also asked that Howick undergo physical and psychiatric assessment in prison and attend addiction services as a condition of her suspended sentence. 

She added: “I really want you to sort things out but you are causing a lot of difficulty for a lot of people in Bandon.” 

This article is funded by the Courts Reporting Scheme