Woman spat on and got sick all over Laois garda station cell
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A WOMAN who spat and got sick over a cell wall at Abbeyleix Garda Station appeared at Portlaoise District Court last week for criminally damaging the property.
Sophia Cooke (20), Derrygorry, Killybrone, Emyvale, Co Monaghan pleaded guilty at Portlaoise District Court to being intoxicated in a public place and to engaging in threatening, abusive or insulting words or behaviour on 21 June at Market Square, Portlaoise and to criminal damage at the garda station on the same date.
Garda Sgt Kirby told the court that at 2.15am that morning, gardaí observed the woman stumbling around on the footpath in the Top Square. When she saw the gardaí, she because aggressive towards them. When arrested and taken to the garda station, she spat and vomited on the cell wall and it cost €150 to clean the cell after her.
Defence solicitor Philip Meagher said that his client wished to hand in letters of apology to the court and to the gardaí.
He said Ms Cooke had not got the funds with her in court to pay for the cleaning of the cell as she was unaware of what it cost. He said his client had applied for a social welfare payment, but because she has not got a fixed address is in receipt of no money.
Referring to the issues that took place on the night, Mr Meagher said that Ms Cooke had been out socialising with her boyfriend at the time, who was assaulted and had his jacket and wallet taken from him. When gardaí arrived at the scene, he said that Ms Cooke was agitated because it was not her or her boyfriend who had initiated the earlier incident.
He said his client took ill on the way back to the cell and was sick.
Judge Andrew Gubbins remanded Ms Cooke on continuing bail to the 18 January sitting of the court.
