Portlaoise Court: Judge described man as ‘a nuisance around the place’
Portloaise Courthouse
A MAN with a BA in IT Engineering was before last week’s sitting of Portlaoise District Court on public order offences.
Maher Benmansour, Ballycarnan Lodge, Portlaoise pleaded guilty to being intoxicated at Old Abbeyleix Road, Portlaoise on 1 March, being intoxicated at Portlaoise Garda Station on 5 April and to the same offence on the following day at the People’s Park, Timahoe Road, Portlaoise.
Garda Sergeant JJ Kirby said that at 3.45pm on 1 March while gardaí were on foot patrol they came across the 42-year-old defendant in a highly intoxicated state and had to arrest him for his own safety.
He said that at 1.50am on 5 April, the defendant “came stumbling into the garda station, falling all over the place and had to be arrested”.
On the following day, gardaí came across Mr Benmansour sleeping on a bench in the People’s Park “with empty beer cans and an empty bottle of vodka scattered all around him on the ground”.
“The issue with him,” said defending solicitor Josephine Fitzpatrick, “is alcohol.”
Regarding the matter at the garda station, Ms Fitzpatrick said: “He went in about an incident that had taken place with another individual on the train and wanted to report it.”
About the incident in the People’s Park, Ms Fitzpatrick said that upon his release from the garda station that morning, he went “for a walk to sober up. The beer cans and bottles were already there and weren’t his”.
Judge Deirdre Gearty described Mr Benmansour as “a nuisance around the place. The guards had to deal with three separate incidents with him. He is obviously a man who is well educated, got a good profession, but this type of behavior is outrageous”.
She noted that the defendant had previously been placed on a 12-month probation bond to keep the peace and to be of good behavior, before adding that “he was out acting the gnat again”.
The judge went on to adjourn the case to 14 July and asked that, in the meantime, a pre-sentence probation assessment report be compiled on Mr Benmansour.
