Three months in jail for man who assaulted a garda

A YOUNG County Leitrim man has been jailed for a total of three months, after he pleaded guilty to a string of offences that happened in March and October of last year. Twenty-five-year-old Evan Moran King from Lahard, Ballinamore, pleaded guilty at Sligo District Court to causing criminal damage to the passenger door of Ellen Mitchell causing €400 of damage to her car on October 8 at Lahard last year.

He also pleaded guilty to a number of charges under the Domestic Violence Act on the same date and location.

The defendant also pleaded guilty to assaulting Garda James Stenson causing him harm on the same date and at the same location.

He pleaded guilty to causing criminal damage to a flower pot belonging to his mother Pauline Moran and also to assaulting Pauline Moran on the same date and at the same location.

And he pleaded guilty to causing criminal damage to the backdoor and window of Pauline Moran on March 10 last year at the same location and to a charge under the Domestic Violence Act at the same venue.

Garda James Stenson told the court that he got a call to go Lahard at 6.15 pm where the defendant had breached a safety order.

He spoke to Pauline Mahon and her daughter, who were next door, and he was told that the defendant had entered the house through the front window after a verbal disagreement with another female and he knocked his mother Pauline Moran to the ground

He also broke a vase.

The garda got the defendant out the back door and as he knew him, he did not put any restraints on him.

But before they reached the garda car the defendant “turned on me” and struggled and went back on the bonnet of Pauline Moran’s car and hit the garda as he lashed out with his feet and cut the officer on the forehead.

The defendant then fled.

But help was on the way and the defendant was found lying in brambles and he was brought to Carrick-on-Shannon garda station.

The garda said he knew the defendant and his family very well and when the defendant was off drink and drugs, he was fine, but he has addiction issues and when he is in a certain state it is impossible to talk to him.

A week after he incident, the defendant rang the garda to apologise.

Defence solicitor Orla Ellis said her client had a problem with drink and drugs. But he was trying to change his life around and had apologised to Garda Stenson off his own bat. He was aware of the distress he had caused and has a lot of work to do to improve matters with his mother. The defendant had been in jail for some time and the solicitor asked that her client be given a chance and asked for a non-custodial sentence. The defendant also had mental health issues and had been hospitalised as a result.

Judge Kilrane asked the defendant, who had appeared by video link as to how he was getting on in jail.

“Fine, as good as I can ,and I am taking it day by day.

“I don’t want to be here, but I know there are not a lot of other options for me at the minute,” the defendant said.

The judge asked the defendant as to what his plans were when he would be released from jail.

The defendant said he wanted to get away from his home place and go and see his father in England.

He said he was not sure if his father knew that he was in jail.

The court heard the defendant had previous convictions for public order matters and breach of a barring order.

Judge Kevin Kilrane said the defendant undoubtedly had problems, but he had to take responsibility for his actions.

The judge said he had got many chances before and his mother did not want to see him.

The defendant made promises and he was back in the family home in Ballinamore, in her maternal care but there were difficulties with alcohol and perhaps other substances. “I have to impose a jail sentence and I will keep it as short as possible.”

But the defendant was going to have to address his issues.

“You are a young man of 25 and you should not be hanging around Ballinamore collecting unemployment. “You should be out at work.”

The judge added that this might happen if he contacted his father in England as he had nobody else at present.

The judge said the defendant’s time in jail will give him a chance to reflect and the court was recommending that he get help in jail through counselling and help with his addiction issues.

He jailed the defendant for a total of three months on a number of charges and took the others into consideration.

“I hope everything goes well for you and you don’t come out with the problems you had going in.”