TENANT DID € 4K WORTH OF DAMAGE
A man carried out € 4,400 worth of damage to a rented house after he and his partner received a notice to quit when the couldn’t afford to pay the rent.
Twelve internal doors, the front door along with interior walls were wrecked in the house, 41, Bothar An Corran, Ballymote by Mullingar native, Sean Hogg who had rented the property because it was cheaper than in his own town.
Hogg, of 24 The Quay, Market Point, Mullingar committed the damage sometime between June 1st and 16th 2016 to the house which belonged to Damien Mullaney who was described as a very good landlord.
Hogg, was arrested by Gardaí following the discovery of the damage by the landlord and estate agent on June 16th last year.
He was subsequently charged with causing criminal damage and appeared at a sitting of Sligo District Court last Thursday where he admitted the offence.
He told Gardaí, said Inspector Paul Kilcoyne that the damage had been committed over a period of time.
Defending solicitor, Ms Laura Spellman said the defendant had € 400 in court and while this was nowhere near the amount involved it was the defendant’s intention to pay the entire sum.
At the moment the defendant wasn’t working and was in receipt of € 144 a week in social welfare payments.
He had been diagnosed with Aspergers Syndrome as a young child while he also suffered from depression in later years, said Ms Spellman.
He was prescribed medicine but he wasn’t taking it.
She said that at the time the landlord had given the defendant and his partner a month’s notice to quit after they failed to pay the rent.
Ms Spellman pleaded that because of his condition any change in his routine caused the defendant stress and anxiety.
The couple had moved to Sligo because it was cheaper to rent here than in Mullingar.
The defendant admitted that he then just “lashed out.” The couple recently had their first child.
The defendant told the court that the incident wasn’t anything manic against the landlord but was more to do with “in his own head.”
“Why did you damage the house” - Judge Kevin Kilrane.
“I don’t know. I couldn’t deal with things” - Defendant.
After the incident he went back on his medication.
He agreed that he and his partner were unable to meet the rental playments.
“The landlord was good enough to rent the house to you and then you didn’t pay the rent and then you wreck the place,” said the Judge.
Ms Spellman said the defendant’s parents lost their own house and would have been in a position to assist their son otherwise.
“This is a shocking case and it is happening all over the country where tenants are not paying their rent and then they go and wreck the place.
“Some of them are in receipt of rent allowance which they pocket themselves and still go on to wreck the place,” said the Judge.
The defendant’s mother told the judge her son hit walls with his head and self harmed. It’s done when her son felt an inability to cope. “It’s all headbutting,” she said, adding that her son had depression and anxiety issues.
In reply to Judge Kilrane, the defendant’s mother said her son never wrecked her home.
This was because they could manage him and he went out for a walk when the signs came on him. She agreed that the landlord was kind. She believed her son should never have rented the house in the first place as their income was too low.
Judge Kilrane said he wanted € 2,200 to be paid by July 27th next and said if it wasn’t then the question of imprisonment would have to be considered.
“He’s going to be taught a lesson irrespective of his problems.
“He hasn’t wrecked your house and he’s not going to get away with wrecking anyone else’s,” said Judge Kilrane, adjourning the case to July 27th next.