Aghamore teen verbally abused garda

A 19-year-old Aghamore man who called a member of An Garda SíochΡna a ‘handicapped black bastard’ appeared in court last week charged with a public order offence.
David Kilkenny of Falleighter, Aghamore, Ballyhaunis, appeared before Claremorris District Court sitting in Castlebar charged with threatening abusive and insulting behaviour and also one charge of careless driving.
The court heard that on April 5, Garda John Horkan and colleague Garda Ian Coyne observed a black Toyota Corolla at Churchfield, Knock coming towards them with two of its wheels over the white line. The car swerved before meeting the patrol car and sped off. Gardaí subsequently discovered the car in the car park of Kilkenny’s Pub.
The court heard that on meeting with Mr Kilkenny, the two gardaí found him to be ‘extremely irate and abusive’. Garda Horkan told the court that Kilkenny then called his colleague a ‘handicapped black bastard’. Mr Kilkenny failed to desist and leave the area and was subsequently charged with the Section 6 public order offence.
Defending solicitor Evan O’Dwyer conceded his client had showed ‘abject disregard for the Gardaí’ and that he was lucky not to have been prosecuted for a serious road traffic offence on the same date.
“This has had a sobering effect on [Mr Kilkenny] … staring down the barrel of a prison sentence,” said Mr O’Dwyer.
Taking the stand, Mr Kilkenny told the court he could not justify his behaviour on the day, adding that it was not like him to do it.
The farm labourer told the court he had been ‘keeping my head down’ since the incident and that he did not want to get into anymore trouble.
Judge Devins put the matter back to February 2, 2016, awaiting a Probation Report.