Man drove tractor at speed into Westport Garda Station

Man drove tractor at speed into Westport Garda Station


A FORMER garda was forced to jump onto a raised flower bed when an angry elderly man drove his tractor at speed at Westport Garda Station.
John Burns of Lanmore, Liscarney, Westport, appeared before Westport District Court last Thursday where he was charged with dangerous driving, assault and threatening and abusive behaviour at Westport Garda Station on May 27, 2012.
The court heard that at 10.30am, retired garda Frank Kelly was gardening outside the station when Mr Burns drove his tractor ‘at him’ forcing him to jump onto a raised flower bed to avoid being pinned against a wall.
His tractor skidded to a stop and Mr Burns entered the foyer of the garda station where he became abusive to gardaí. He had previously been refused permission to obtain a licence for a firearm and threatened gardaí that he would get a gun and ‘sort you out’.
Sergeant Denis Harrington explained that Mr Burns continued to be abusive and refused to calm down. His tractor had blocked the entrance to the station blocking cars from getting out and he refused to give gardaí his keys.
Members of the public coming into the station were forced to turn back and Mr Burns was arrested for a breach of the Public Order Act after he refused to calm down.
When he was arrested, he resisted and struck out at Sgt Harrington kicking him in the shins, and continued to threaten and abuse gardaí. Sgt Harrington said that he made references that he would ‘deal with us’.
He later returned to the garda station where he apologised to the gardaí.
Mr Burns has one previous conviction under the Firearms Act, which his solicitor Rory O’Connor said involved a ‘borrowed’ gun. Sgt Harrington said borrowed was the incorrect word to use and said Mr Burns obtained the gun under false pretences from an arms dealer and that the gun was buried.
Sgt Harrington agreed with Mr O’Connor that he never threatened anyone with the gun and did not assault the garda until after he was arrested. Sgt Harrington explained that Mr Burns had been refused a gun licence by a number of superintendents and had been a nuisance.
The court heard that Mr Burns would call the garda station up to 100 times a day previous to this incident but this had stopped since.
Mr Burns is currently on crutches after an operation on his leg, and the court heard he drove to court ‘with difficulty’ in his van.
Mr O’Connor said he lived eight miles from Westport in a rural area and asked the court to consider reducing the dangerous driving charge to a lesser one.
When asked to give an undertaking not to call the gardaí again other than for genuine reasons, Mr Burns replied he would ‘do what you want’ and would not ring them.
Following the undertaking, Judge Mary Devins said she would adjourn sentencing for 12 months.