Portlaoise Court: Man went on a Christmas Day crime spree
Portlaoise Courthouse
A MAN, with six previous convictions, who smashed three windows of a car, its windscreen, damaged the front door and letterbox of a house and an oil burner on Christmas Day was placed on a 12-month supervisory bond when he came before Portlaoise District Court.
Before the court was 34-year-old Paul Rabbitte from, 30 The Green, Oldgrange Wood, Monasterevin.
He pleaded guilty to criminal damage costing €2,000 on 25 December 2023 at Passlands, Monasterevin, Kildare.
Garda Sergeant JJ Kirby said at 6am on Christmas morning, gardaí arrived at the scene and found the defendant in a highly erratic state. He said car windows had been smashed as well as a front door to a house that he had tried to gain access to.
Defending solicitor Barry Fitzgerald said that his client had paid full compensation for the damage he caused to the injured party.
He said at the time of the incident Mr Rabbitte had been drinking and taking cocaine for five straight days and “got an irrational idea in his head that the injured party was out with somebody else. He accepts that he was completely wrong about that and that his views at the time were completely irrational.”
“This is a very serious offence,” said Judge Susan Fay, “and it happened on Christmas Day.”
Mr Fitzgerald said that not alone had Mr Rabbitte paid for the damage he caused but that he also took part in a Restorative Justice Programme and had engaged with the injured party.
Judge Fay ruled as outlined.
