Repeat offender had 159 previous convictions
'I’ve given him every chance,' said the judge
A MAN with a given address of No Fixed Abode in Newbridge, but now in a golf lodge in Tullow, was fined €500 for two counts of being drunk on the streets of Kildare towns. Athy District Court heard this week how Roger Markiewicz (32) was arrested for public drunkenness in Horan’s Centra in Castledermot on 19 May, and again the same day on Leinster Street, Athy.
“He was drunk and a danger to himself,” said Sergeant Dave Hanrahan, who then – because of the defendant’s guilty plea – revealed that Mr Markiewicz had 159 previous convictions.
“I’ve known him since he was 14 or 15, and now he’s graduated to 159 convictions?” sighed Judge Desmond Zaidan.
At a previous appearance, the judge remarked: “I am seriously disappointed with you. When you first came before me, I felt sorry for you, and you’ve thrown it all away”.
“I’ve given him every chance,” said the judge this time, before issuing his fine, and giving Mr Markiewicz three months to pay it.
