DISTRICT COURT ROUND-UP

From our reporter at Sligo Courthouse

Psychiatric evaluation for man on murder charges

The man charged with the murders of Aidan Moffitt and Michael Snee and the attempted murder of Anthony Burke is due to receive psychiatric assessment.

Yousef Palani (22), of 10 Markievicz Heights, Sligo, appeared before Sligo District Court via video link from Castlerea prison on Thursday of last week.

Defending solicitor, Gerard McGovern, confirmed to the court that the accused, having waited several months, was due to have an appointment on Friday for an assessment with consultant psychiatrist Dr Paul O’Connell saying it was, “important for our case going forward”. He also made an application to extend his client’s legal aid certificate to cover the production of his report.

Sergeant Derek Butler made an application to adjourn the matter until October 20. The solicitor said he was happy with that but was anxious the book of evidence be served on that date.

Judge Sandra Murphy further remanded the accused in custody until October 20 for serving of the book of evidence.

Cheque had been altered and lodged to account

A 32-year-old woman was before Sligo District Court on Thursday of last week charged with making gain or causing loss by deception as well as drug driving.

Melissa Gaffey (32), 35, Racecourse View, Cranmore, Sligo, was charged with making gain or causing loss by deception at a date between January 17, 2020 and January 20, 2020 at AIB Stephen Street, Sligo – dishonestly by deception inducing Mr Charlie Kane, AIB Bank Manager, to lodge €700.16 to AIB as a result of lodging an altered cheque written out for the amount of €7.16.

Sergeant Derek Butler told the court a complaint was received by Gardaí from Mr Jamie White of the AIB Fraud Prevention Unit on February 22, 2020. A €7.16 cheque had been altered to €700.16 and lodged by the defendant into an account in her name meaning a loss of €693 to the bank.

Ms Gaffey admitted the offence after being cautioned and was then charged with deception following an investigation.

A second charge related to when her red Ford Focus was observed at Caltra Crescent estate on January 13, 2021, with the headlamps not adequately lit. She was stopped by Garda Chambers and made herself known to the garda. She was informed about the head lamp and provided a full driving licence at the scene. The defendant also provided a fluid specimen from her mouth. The machine recorded a positive result for cocaine with the reading showed a concentration of 560. The defendant admitted taking the drug earlier and was then arrested and conveyed to Ballymote Garda Station.

The court heard she had three previous convictions – the most recent of which was on June 16, 2022, at Sligo District Court for driving without a tax disc when she was fined €150.

Defending solicitor, Mr Tom MacSharry, said his client was a “very young lady” who had developed serious addiction issues. There was a tipping point after the January incident when she had sought help for her issues. She was now clean and sober and fully engaging with probation services and co-operative with gardaí.

She was blinded by addiction but had expressed remorse and said she would compensate the victim. She was from a very respectable family in Sligo. The probation report had given recommendations and she was begging the court to be able to stay with them. She had overcome what was a very serious addiction issue, was pleading guilty to both offences and was at the mercy of the court. In relation to the drug driving offence, Judge Sandra Murphy convicted and fined her €350 with three months to pay and disqualified her from driving for one year.

The judge referred to the other matter as “very serious” saying there was always a victim of a crime. She said she was a young woman and was not working but could get work it in the interim. She could see potential and put back the matter for six months to allow the defendant to engage fully with the services and follow their recommendations, as well as deal with her addiction issues.

In addition, the judge requested two supervised drugs screenings, and pending production of same adjourned the matter until March

30, 2023.

Defendant’s selfmedicating claim was “nonsense”

A judge told a man before her court on a drugs charge that it was a “nonsense” to say he was self-medicating when there were proper legal drugs available.

John Fahey (31), of Grogagh, Grange, Co. Sligo, was before Judge

Sandra Murphy at Sligo District Court charged with possession of cannabis herb at Rathcrippin, Collooney, Sligo, on November 20, 2021. He was further charged with driving without a driving licence at the same location and on the same date.

The court heard a mobile garda patrol on the N4 at Hollybrook stopped the defendant between Collooney and Sligo. Garda Darra Petit observed a strong smell of cannabis coming from the vehicle and the driver had over €157 worth of cannabis on him. He admitted it was for his own personal use and cooperated fully with the gardaí.

Gardaí later discovered he was disqualified from driving and was driving without a driving licence and insurance.

The court also heard his most recent previous conviction was in September 2018 at Sligo District Court for driving with no insurance when he was fined €300. He had also been given probation for a possession of drugs charge at Ballyshannon District Court in 2014.

Defending solicitor, Mr Mark Mullaney, said his client was resigned to the fact he would be disqualified for a lengthy period of time. He had fully co-operated on the drugs offence. He was involved in a very serious road traffic accident in Northern Ireland a number of years ago which resulted in a serious injury that he had been self-medicating for. When he met the gardaí, he had been travelling in his vehicle to acquire drugs.

He hadn’t realised he had been disqualified prior to that as the offence had happened three weeks before and he hadn’t opened the letter informing him. He also didn’t realise a disqualification would have commenced so there was no intent on his part to drive.

He was a 31-year-old man working in a Mayo business as a designer in a kitchen making facility. He had no dependents and was a regular and constant pain sufferer.

Judge Murphy said the difficulty for her was that he was in his car to buy drugs and there was a smell of cannabis in the car. She questioned what he was doing about his drug issue and said it was a “nonsense” to say he was self-medicating when there were proper legal drugs available out there saying it was “not an

Sligo Courthouse. option” to self-medicate with cannabis and it was illegal.

On the insurance charge, the judge convicted him and imposed a fine of €250 disqualifying him from driving for four years – taking into account the driving licence charge. In relation to the possession of drugs offence, she adjourned the matter until January 12, 2023, pending the production of a probation report.

Motorist drove through red light in Sligo town

Dariusz Dul (49), of 5 Lower Pearse Road West, Sligo, was before Sligo District Court charged with driving past a red light at Temple Street, Abbeyquarter North, Sligo, on June 29, 2021.

The court heard Garda John Tighe, Sligo Garda Station, was on patrol and stopped at a red traffic light at John Street when he observed a car travelling from Temple Street in the direction of Adelaide Street and breaking the red light. He stopped the car, took the occupant’s details, and issued a Fixed Charge Penalty Notice (FCPN) which remained unpaid.

The man had been in court twice previously – once on April 19, 2007, where he received a €60 fine at Sligo District Court for not wearing a seat belt. The other was at Ballyhaunis District Court for driving while holding a mobile phone when he was fined €70.

Judge Sandra Murphy convicted him and imposed a fine of €150 giving him three months to pay.

Fine for learner driver on two charges

A learner driver before Sligo District Court on two driving offences received fines of €400.

Aaron McCann (27), of 50 Mountain View, Tubbercurry, Co. Sligo, was charged with failure to produce an insurance certificate at the N17, Ballinacarrow South, Ballymote, Co. Sligo, on October 16, 2020. He was further charged with non-display of a tax disc on the same date and at the same location.

The court was told Sergeant David James Murray stopped a white

Ford Transit van and observed the tax disc had expired at the end of April 2020. The garda sought the defendant’s driving licence and saw he was on a learner permit. He had no L-plates displayed on his vehicle. A Fixed Charge Penalty Notice was issued, and he failed to produce his documents within the required ten days.

In relation to the failure to produce an insurance certificate charge, Judge Sandra Murphy convicted the man and fined him €250 with three months to pay taking into consideration the L-plate and he had no previous convictions.

In relation to the non-display of a tax disc, the judge convicted the man and imposed a fine of €150 with three months to pay.

Asleep on footpath outside convent with litre of vodka

A heavily intoxicated 53-year-old man found lying on a path outside a Sligo convent with a litre of vodka was arrested by gardaí for his own safety.

Mariusz Krolikowski (53), of Shalomar, Finisklin, Sligo, was charged at Sligo District Court with intoxication in a public place at Far, Finisklin Road, on June 23, 2021 and further charged with the same offence at Finisklin Road on September 23, 2021.

Gardaí received a report on September 23, 2021, of a male lying on a path outside the entrance to the Ursuline Convent. They identified the man as the defendant and removed a litre bottle of vodka from him which was half full. He was visibly intoxicated and had too much drink taken to be able to talk or engage in conversation. He was taken away by ambulance to Sligo University Hospital for his own safety.

Gardaí also received a report on June 23 at 11.10pm of a male asleep on the ground. When Garda Conor McNulty attended the scene at Far, Finisklin Road, they observed the defendant asleep and attempted to wake him up. When he awoke, he was unstable on his feet and very heavily intoxicated as well as having heavily slurred speech. He was deemed a danger onto himself, arrested for his own safety and brought to the garda station.

Defending solicitor, Tom MacSharry, said his client had a chronic addiction to alcohol however, he never lashed out and asked to apologise to gardaí as well as thanking them. He said he was “grasping the nettle” in relation to his alcohol addiction.

Judge Sandra Murphy told the defendant she was concerned he was not addressing his alcohol issues and pointed out the high cost to the state was disproportionate citing the ambulance service and garda time as well as legal aid.

She said she saw no plan for him which was a difficulty for her. She adjourned the case until November 24 pending evidence he was addressing his alcohol issues.

Attendees of Clublandia, Sligo’s first inclusive and accessible club night, fill the dance floor as local act Wired For Sound perform.

CLUBLANDIA – Sligo’s first inclusive and accessible club night for adults – took place in Anderson’s Grill and Bar last Thursday.

It was a hugely successful night with numbers reaching almost full capacity.

The event was organised by Number 45 High Street (Sligo Centre for Independent Living) and the Good Times Committee including volunteer and community access facilitator, Jane Tansey.

Music was provided by

DJ

Doolittle and Wired For Sound, while Amy O’Hara’s dress-up booth where people could dress up in hats, wigs and sunglasses and have their photo taken was a big attraction on the night.

Jane had attended a similar club night in Galway called ‘Club Tropicana’ a few years before and wanted Sligo do develop their own version. She had spoken to Maria Mulligan about it February 2020 who instantly got on board with the idea but stretched it further to include

the whole community.

She applied for funding from the National Lottery and supplemented it with funds from the Sligo Centre for Independent Living.

“We are absolutely thrilled at how tonight went – it was better than we could possibly have imagined and it is down to all of you who came tonight,” Maria Mulligan from Number 45, Sligo Centre for Independent Living, said as she thanked the crowd at the end of the night.

Laura Forkin from Monasteraden with Mairead McGuinness, European Commissioner for Financial Stability, Financial Services and the Capital Markets Union, at the European Commission stand at the National Ploughing Championships in Laois last week.