Man jailed was warned ‘this day was coming’
“I warned you of this several times that this day was coming,” stated Judge Kevin Kilrane at a special sitting of Sligo District last Monday where he jailed a 32-year-old man for six months on a number of charges ranging from theft to public order offences.
Judge Kilrane told the court he had a total of five probation reports in front of him relating to the defendant, Ciaran Carney, formerly of Woodbrook Heights, Ballisodare but the problem remained.
He had turned up late in Tubbercurry District Court the previous Wednesday in an extremely intoxicated state, said the Judge who had remanded him in custody.
Mr Gerard McGovern, solicitor (defending) pleaded that the defendant was a harmless individual when he wasn’t drinking but that alcohol was destroying him.
“The only reason he has ever been in prison has been down to alcohol related issues,” he said.
Mr McGovern said he hoped the defendant would get his life together as he was certainly facing death at an early age otherwise.
Judge Kilrane acknowledged that Mr McGovern had always done his best for the defendant whom he said however “has run out of road.”
The Judge said he could give the defendant another chance but if he “goes at it again” is it going to be accepted again.
“At some stage the defendant is going to have to take responsibility for himself,” he said.
Mr McGovern said the defendant had been doing well, had been in a relationship which was excellent for him.
“I had hope for him that he had turned a corner,” said Mr McGovern.
The defendant told the court he had stayed out of trouble for a long time and hadn’t been drinking. His relationship just finished.
He said he had people sup- porting him.
“If I do give up the drink I have a job lined up,” he said.
He added that he had friends he knew for years in the town, business people who were willing to help him.
Judge Kilrane said that unfortunately if he was to release the defendant on bail he would re-offend.
The Judge jailed Carney for 12 months, suspending six months of the term on condition the defendant did not commit an indictable offence or one under the Public Order Act for two years after his release.
The defendant had faced charges of theft from Surlis’ supermarket in Tubbercurry on September 2nd and the theft of alcohol from a Centra supermarket in Sligo on November 7 th 2017.
He was further charged with offences under the Public Order Act at Sligo Bus Station on the same date and with being intoxicated on July 19 th last.
There were also charges of causing criminal damage at Tesco on April 7 th 2017 and further Public Order offences at Stephen Street Car Park on June 7 th 2017 and on September 29 th 2017 and summonses for failing to turn up in courts in Castlebar and Sligo.