Laois man broke into house believing it to be an IPAS centre
Portlaoise Courthouse
A MAN who broke into a house in Portlaoise believing it to be used as an IPAS centre and assaulted a garda who attended the scene was back before the local district court last week, where his case was finalised.
Owen Lawlor, 25 Oakleaf Place, Knockmay, Portlaoise had previously pleaded guilty to assault with intent to resist or prevent a lawful detention, trespass, criminal damage and with engaging in threatening, abusive or insulting words or behaviour at Coote Street, Portlaoise on 11 October last year. He had also pleaded guilty to being intoxicated at the A&E department of Portlaoise hospital on 31 October last year.
Giving evidence at the previous hearing of the case, Garda Meenaghan said: “At 10.50pm on 11 October, gardaí received a call about a man who had entered a premises on Coote Street, believing it to be an IPAS centre. He set off the alarm that made all the people leave the house. He was very intoxicated and belligerent, saying foreigners shouldn’t be in the country.” The garda said that at the time there were eight people in the house, all Bulgarian. He said that while the men did not know what Mr Lawlor was saying, a partner of one could understand him.
Garda Meenaghan said that while four gardaí were attempting to arrest the defendant, his elbow swung back and broke one of the garda’s glasses, causing €410 in damage.
Regarding the incident at the A&E department of the hospital, Garda Sgt JJ Kirby had given evidence of how the gardaí were called and found the defendant in a drunken state at 2.40am and how he had to be arrested for his own safety.
Defending solicitor Josephine Fitzpatrick had told that sitting that her client’s actions at the house in Coote Street on the night was “out of character for him. He didn’t mean to cause harm and is very apologetic to the garda.” She said in relation to the incident at the hospital, Mr Lawlor had been there to gain admission and had clearly drunk to excess.” When the case resumed last week, Sgt Kirby said that full compensation had been paid to the garda for the damage the defendant had caused to her glasses.
He told Judge Catherine Ryan that Mr Lawlor “is now behaving himself.” Noting from the probation report that the defendant had recently linked up with a voluntary group in the town that provided gardening services and that he was a suitable candidate to take part in community service, on the trespass charge, Judge Ryan imposed 75 hours’ community service with the local voluntary group in lieu of one month in prison. For the assault on the member of the gardaí, she imposed a one-month custodial sentence, which she suspended for 12 months. She took all other matters into consideration.
