Man (43) told gardaí they were like ‘Black and Tans’

A 43-year-old hotel night porter was before Sligo District Court charged with public order after telling gardaí they were like the black and tans and to go and catch real criminals.

ANTHONY Cawley, with an address at Carnagulta, Geevagh, Co Sligo was charged with threatening, abusive and insulting behaviour and with failure to comply with the direction of a garda.

The court heard the defendant was bringing an elderly neighbour into the offices of Sligo County Council on April 24 th 2018 when Garda Joe Evans asked him to pull over as he thought he wasn’t wearing a seatbelt and asked him to pull in outside Johnston Court, O’Connell St at 3:58pm.

Garda Evans said he got out of the car in a rage. After looking at his driver’s licence, he said Cawley then swiped it back from him and said to him that the gardaí were like the black and tans and to go and catch real criminals.

The court heard that the situation was enflamed when Garda Evans rang the station to see if Cawley had any previous convictions. Garda Evans said he told him to desist and he failed to do so.

Mr John McNulty, solicitor (defending) said that his client, who had no previous convictions, accepted that his behaviour was unacceptable and said he had apologised to Garda Evans.

He was working as a night-porter in a hotel in Carrick-on-Shannon and was also a security man and said he was very well regarded with staff there.

Mr McNulty said his client had a blemish-free record and public order offences may have an impact on his employment .

Judge Kevin Kilrane asked Garda Evans if he believed Cawley’s apology was sincere and he said he genuinely believed it was 100% sincere. The judge then asked the garda what he thought came over him and he replied that he was having a bad day and that he had met him a couple of times since and he was very polite.

Judge Kilrane said to Cawley that from his line of work in the reputable hotel now and again they would have to call on gardaí for assistance when having to deal with some truculent individuals.

He said to him that he had experience of working with gardaí and asked what came over him on the day in question. Cawley said there was a lot of things on his mind and was having a bad day. He said that as soon as he said what he had said he deeply regretted it and told the judge that it will never happen again.

Judge Kilrane applied the Probation Act.