Man threatened to break garda’s nose, called him a ‘dead man walking’
Carlow courthouse Photo: Michael O'Rourke
A CARLOW man who threatened gardaí on multiple occasions while intoxicated has been sentenced to four months in prison. Eddie Dundon, 13 Kernanstown, Carlow pleaded guilty to three separate public order offences when he appeared before Carlow District Court last week.
The court heard that on 13 February gardaí found Mr Dundon on Tullow Street waving a glass bottle and unsteady on his feet. He “threw a punch” at Garda Lane and made derogatory comments, shouting “you’re dead, you bald Tipperary c**t”.
Six days earlier, Garda Doyle had encountered the 59-year-old defendant “staggering and drinking from a glass bottle” at Potato Market, Carlow. Mr Dundon called the garda a “scumbag” and a “dead man walking” and threatened to break his nose.
On 5 February, Garda Ryan also found Mr Dundon in an intoxicated state, “unable to stand unaided and unable to speak”.
Defending solicitor Joe Farrell said his client “knows this court” and was “known around town for probably not the right reasons”; he has 101 previous convictions. Mr Farrell told the court that Mr Dundon had no recollection of the events and wished to apologise. Mr Farrell argued that, when sober, his client “holds little risk to others” and asked the court not to consider the bottle an aggravating circumstance.
Judge Geraldine Carthy described the incident with the glass bottle as “startling”, noted that previously Mr Dundon had been “given numerous opportunities” and said “this kind of behaviour can’t be tolerated”. She sentenced Mr Dundon to two months in prison for the incident involving Garda Doyle and a further two months, to be served consecutively, for the incident with Garda Lane. The judge set recognisance at €500, with €250 in cash.
