‘Made a joke of the court’

A DEFENDANT who was so intoxicated that he got sick on the street in Carlow and told the gardaí to f**k off was sentenced to two months in custody after Judge Geraldine Carthy said that he had made “a joke of court”.

Edward Cash, with an address at the Charlotte Rooms, Tullow Street, Carlow pleaded guilty to being intoxicated in a public place and of engaging in threatening, abusive and insulting behaviour at Potato Market, Carlow on 12 July 2021.

Sergeant Hud Kelly told the court that Mr Cash was so intoxicated that he was vomiting on the street when the gardaí met him and that when they instructed him to go home, he told them to “f**k off”.

Sergeant Kelly continued that children were watching what was happening and that he continued to shout abuse at the gardaí.

The court heard that Mr Cash had 57 previous convictions and that he had served time in prison.

“He has made a joke of this court,” said Judge Geraldine Carthy, adding that it took two bench warrants to get him to court.

Solicitor Chris Hogan told her that his 28-year-old client didn’t appear on his court dates because his father-in-law died and a relative died in a road accident. He added that Mr Cash had a problem with alcohol, that he had relapsed since spending time in Cuan Mhuire rehabilitation centre and that his time in prison was a “wake-up call”.

But Judge Carthy replied that “the whole history of this case has been a joke”, before sentencing Mr Cash to two months in custody.

When Mr Hogan asked her to fix recognisances in the event of an appeal, Judge Carthy replied that she hoped that Mr Cash “had a lot of cash on him”.

She then fixed recognisances at €1,000 with a €400 cash bond.