Mayo man fined because he demanded to speak to an ‘Irish’ guard

An Mayo man from Islandeady who refused to deal with a French-born garda and demanded to speak to an ‘Irish guard’ has been fined €300.

Aaron Chambers of Cloonane, Islandeady appeared before Castlebar District Court where he pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct in a public place and intoxication following an incident on Hopkins Road, Castlebar, on August 23, 2023.

Sergeant John O’Reilly, the Court Presenter, told Judge Vincent Deane that gardaí attended a scene where a female had fallen on the street and were offering assistance to her.

He explained that Mr Chambers was aggressive at the scene and refused to cooperate with the gardaí when spoken to.

Sgt O’Reilly explained that when Garda Christophe Perret was trying to speak to Mr Chambers, the defendant refused to speak to him saying he ‘wanted to speak to an Irish guard’.

The court heard that there was a strong smell of alcohol from Mr Chambers and he was eventually arrested.

Sgt O’Reilly said that Mr Chambers has four previous convictions, including drink driving offences and driving with no insurance in 2022 and 2021.

Mr Charles Gilmartin, solicitor for Mr Chambers, said his client has a history of alcohol abuse and has been engaging with the mental-health services for the last year. Regarding the incident, Mr Gilmartin said his client had tried to help the lady but made a fool of himself. He said there was no excuse for his behaviour and he wished to apologise to the Gardaí.

He added that his client had been working as an apprentice plumber but lost his job when he was disqualified from driving. He said Mr Chambers wishes to start his apprenticeship when his licence is restored and at the moment is working as a labourer.

Judge Deane fined Mr Chambers €300 for the charge of disorderly conduct.