A Ballinrobe man threatened a Kilmaine publican that he would bring a ‘crew’ out from Ballinrobe to ‘wreck the place and shut you down for good’.
David Sweeney (27) of 7, Bog Road, Ballinrobe appeared before Castlebar District Court on Public Order charges after incidents in Maloney’s Bar, Kilmaine on Sunday, October 2 last.
Garda Aidan Connaughton told the court that he received a call to go to Maloney’s Bar where a drunk man was refused drink and wouldn’t leave. He said that when he arrived there he observed David Sweeney sitting alone and Garda Connaughton asked him to leave,
The garda told the court that Sweeney followed him out but when the proprietor of the pub walked by them on his way in, Sweeney became abusive, Garda Connaughton quoting him as saying the following: “I’m going to get a crew out from Ballinrobe and we’ll wreck the place. I’ll shut you down for good.”
The court heard that Sweeney had a total of 18 previous convictions. Defending solicitor Cathy McDarby told the court that her client has three children aged seven, four and five months and is unemployed.
She said that on the day in question he was ‘drunk and belligerent’ but was trying to get his life in order.
She said that he wants to stay out of trouble but there has been a difficulty with doing community service in the past. She told Judge Denis McLoughlin that there’s a difficulty with him doing community service in other areas because of ‘difficulties with other traveller families’ in other towns. He also had a difficulty in that he has no vehicle to drive to other locations.
He had been very anxious to do community service in Ballinrobe before but none was available. She said he was willing to donate ‘any amount of money to charity’.
Judge McLoughlin adjourned the matter to July 4 for a community service assessment. He said that, if found suitable, he would sentence him to 150 hours in lieu of two months in prison. He added that the two months jail sentence would be imposed if Sweeney was found unsuitable, ‘for whatever reason’.