Judge tells man (31) that he 'shouldn’t want to have his nappy changed anymore'
A judge has told a court that a 31-year old Kilrush man shouldn’t want to have his nappy changed anymore and that he is a big boy now.
At Kilrush District Court, Judge Patrick Durcan made his comment when dismissing an application from solicitor for Patrick Sweeney, Gearoid Williams that his client could do with the intervention of the Probation Service.
In response, Judge Durcan said: “No, I am not going to waste Probation Service time on this. Your client is a big boy. He shouldn’t want to have his nappy changed anymore. He needs to pay out money in respect of his behaviour.”
Judge Durcan said: “The Probation Officer has enough to be doing than to be dealing with someone like your client. He is a big boy now.”
In the case, Mr Sweeney of Crawford Street, Kilrush pleaded guilty to a public order offence arising from a disturbance outside his home on Crawford Street in Kilrush on May 1, 2017.
After hearing an outline of the facts from Insp Tom Kennedy, Judge Durcan said: “It sounds like he wanted to lay down the law on that night, it was going to be ‘Sweeney law’ in Crawford Street and nothing else.”
He said: “That is an attitude that will have to be knocked out of someone, will a few months down in Limerick prison not do that?”
In the case, Judge Durcan said that he didn’t want give Mr Sweeney a record over the incident and instead struck out the matter after ordering the man to pay €200 to the Court Discretionary Fund.
Judge Durcan said that Mr Sweeney’s behaviour on the night “showed an attitude to the gardaí when trying to enforce law and order".
He said: “I will not tolerate that attitude towards the gardai. I am going to punish Mr Sweeney in the pocket.”
Insp Kennedy said that an ambulance had called in garda assistance in relation to a call from a house on Crawford Street.
The inspector said that when gardaí called to the scene, Mr Sweeney was very agitated and very aggressive and told the gardaí "to f**k away from the house" and "who called ye f**kers here?"
He said: “That was the circumstance and atmosphere around the call.”
Insp Kennedy said that Mr Sweeney had no previous convictions for such an offence but has convictions for three road traffic offences.
Mr Williams said that there was a family situation at the home and Mr Sweeney felt that it had calmed down.
However, Mr Williams said that the situation witnessed by the gardaí got completely out of hand and out of line.
Mr Williams said that Mr Sweeney has apologised to the garda in writing.
