I will rape you and kill you, man said to garda

A MAN WHO told a garda that he would “rape and kill him” has been fined a total of €600 at Tubbercurry District Court.

When Joseph Clancy, 26, from Carrowcrory, Balinafad, was approached by arresting Garda Demetrius Doherty in Gurteen in September 2019, the defendant told the garda: “F*** off, I am going to rape you and I will kill you.”

The defendant pleaded guilty to using threatening and abusive behaviour at Rathmadder, Gurteen, on September 20, 2019.

He also pleaded guilty to dangerous driving at Tubbercurry Road, Ballymote, on September 11, 2019. Related charges of dangerous driving, obstruction and criminal damage on September 11 and September 20 were struck out at the court sitting. The court was told that a car approached a garda checkpoint at speed. About 35 metres away it accelerated and drove through the checkpoint after it was signalled to stop at Tubbercurry Road, Ballymote, on September 11, 2019.

Gardaí went in pursuit but lost the car as it drove at speed at various locations at Teeling Street and Clonkeevey, Ballymote.

On September 20, Garda Doherty spotted the defendant in Gurteen.

The defendant refused to give the garda his name and address when he was arrested and he verbally threatened the garda, the court heard. Judge Kevin Kilrane turned down a request from defence solicitor Gerry McGovern to reduce the dangerous driving matters to careless driving. The court heard the defendant had a previous conviction for drug driving. Mr McGovern said there was a letter on behalf of the defendant from a third party which showed the “difficulties” he had at that time.

The only good thing was that in the past few months the defendant was on proper medication for his mental health problem.

He was a “different man today, was a father-of-one, was taking his medication and was always in contact with the mental health services.”

But he needed to keep taking his medication.

Judge Kilrane asked Mr McGovern if this were the same man who had appeared in Carrick-on-Shannon District Court and meted out outrageous abuse some time ago. Mr McGovern said the defendant was “not himself” on that occasion but had got help and had done well.

The judge said the defendant had been out of his mind at the Carrick sitting.

He said: “I am told he is getting help and has a family now.”

But in 2019 and 2020 he was acting in a most irrational manner, full of anger and resistance to any form of approach by gardaí, said the judge. The judge said if that was explained by a “mental malady” then so be it. He fined the defendant €300 and banned him from driving for two years on the dangerous driving charge and fined him an additional €300 on the charge of using threatening and abusive behaviour.