A GRAIGUECULLEN man who contested a charge of having cannabis for sale or supply but who was found guilty by Judge Geraldine Carthy was handed a suspended sentence last week in Carlow District Court.

A MAN who undertook a learner motorcyclist on a straight road, yet pleaded not guilty despite an eyewitness and video evidence, was jailed for six months, banned from driving for four years and fined €4,000 at Athy District Court last week.

A MOTORIST who hit a pedestrian as she was crossing the road pleaded guilty to careless driving at last week’s sitting of Carlow District Court.

A TULLOW woman has accepted a lifetime ban on owning dogs after what the ISPCA described in court as a case of “pure neglect” and “lack of care” which led to the death of a Yorkshire Terrier and the severe malnourishment of two others.

JUDGE Cormac Quinn affirmed last week in Carlow Circuit Court of Appeals a sentence imposed on Nigel O’Hara of Fourteen Acres, Kilcarrig, Bagenalstown when he was convicted of animal cruelty in February 2024.

Judge O’Leary noted the defendant’s previous convictions for theft and said he had received “lots of warnings” in relation to this behaviour

‘This person inflicted significant distress and fear through his targeted and deliberate harassment, including coming to my workplace and issuing threats, and attempted to damage my personal and professional reputation.'

The court heard the man had experienced a drug-induced psychosis after taking cocaine and his attempted break-in at a local Spar was “all a blur” 

The defendant went into the pub with a hammer in his hand, looking for an employee who no longer worked there, then became “quite irate” and argued with the owners, threatening to kill them

During the search of the Co Carlow home, gardaí discovered 34 bags of cannabis with a value of €2,380

“Drugs are a scourge on the nation.”

When she opened the family car, she got a strong smell of cannabis and saw tobacco on the floor, as well as a used condom

In defence the court heard that the defendant ran the unofficial taxi service more as a way of socialising than making money

Judge Cody said; "Stealing a packet of biscuits. It’s wasting a lot of money over a €2 packet of biscuits” 

Judge Carthy noted that the knife had been found in his underwear and that he had become abusive to the female garda

The defendant in direct evidence denied touching his step-sister, saying she was always looking for attention as a child and that she would pull up her top and pull down her trousers in front of him

“He threatened to kill me, to stab me to death,” she told the court, adding that she felt “he would follow through with his threats”

The court heard the defendant had lied to the insurance company about the amount of finance he had owed on his car loan, telling them it was far less so that he could keep the balance

The security men, a father and son, told the court in a victim impact statement that seeing his son’s head being stamped on and that the image “would stay with him for a long time”

“He rubbed his hand along his thigh and touched her breast,” the garda clarified