Handbrake skids and wrecked room lead to jail

Handbrake skids and wrecked room lead to jail


A VISITOR to Westport, who damaged his hotel room and was discovered in a drunken state doing handbrake skids on Mill Street in the middle of the night has been jailed for five months.
Pleading guilty at last week’s sitting of Westport District Court, 28-year-old Robert Duff of Ballysax, the Curragh, County Kildare, was also fined €2,000 and ordered to pay €1,000 compensation to Mr Joe O’Malley, the owner of the Mill Times Hotel.
It emerged that Mr Duff had come to County Mayo to attend a Nancy Griffith concert in Castlebar.
Garda Declan Glynn told Judge Mary Devins that on February 7 last at 4.40am he observed the accused ‘doing handbrake skids on Mill Street’ and driving up a one-way street at the Fairgreen.
When apprehended Mr Duff, who failed an on-the-spot breath test ‘refused point blank’ to undergo testing in the garda station.
“He said I’m not doing blood or piss,” Garda Glynn told the court.
“The following day I was informed  by my colleague, Garda Flaherty that damage was done the night before to room 325 of the Mill Times Hotel. It was to the walls, lighting and carpet,” he said.
Garda Glynn confirmed that Mr Duff had been released from custody at 5.30am.
Counsel for the accused, Mr Sean Foy said his client accepted he had incurred the damage and had been cooperative with the gardaí.
“He has €1,000 in cash with him to give to the clerk. My client is an unemployed Heavy Duty mechanic who lives with his partner of eight years and their three-year-old child,” Mr Foy said.
He also said that Mr Duff  was ‘really under stress’ and had a problem with ‘un-prescribed drugs’.
“He said he went off-the-head that night. He has a substantial mortgage on his house, which is now being paid through mortgage protection. He is remorseful and has advised me he is going to seek help for his problems,” he continued.
The court was told that the accused had a previous drink-driving conviction. Recognisance was fixed in the event of an appeal.