A 21-year-old man who had spent two nights in Castlerea Prison after making pig noises at a garda has now appeared to have learned his lesson, Westport District Court has heard.
Sean Kerrigan of Pullgloss, Louisburgh, was remanded in custody after the incident in the carpark of Tesco Castlebar on March 6 last when Judge Mary Devins heard he was under the supervision of the Probation Service at the time and had a previous sentencing adjourned for 12 months in order to see how he behaved.
Last week, barrister Lynda Lenehan said the resulting probation report into Kerrigan shows ‘he’s trying to turn a corner’. Judge Devins was told how Kerrigan is attending Tuam Community Training Centre in order to get a HGV driving licence in order to help him get permanent work in the future. Kerrigan apologised to the court and said he won’t be in trouble again as ‘I’ve learned my lesson’.
Relating to the March 6 altercation, which also saw Kerrigan tell Garda Martin Friel to ‘f*** off’ while he was dealing with another incident, Judge Devins fined him €250 and sentenced him to three months imprisonment, suspended for a year. He was also fined €200 for a public order offence on September 27, 2009 and given a six-month sentence, suspended for one year.