Tells judge he’s a ‘dead man’

A man with a record of threatening behaviour and making hoax calls, who phoned in a bomb threat to Cavan General Hospital while behind bars, resulting in patients being relocated for their safety, exploded in a violent tirade when sentenced to 15 months in prison last week.

“Fifteen f**king months for that? You’re a f**king scumbag, judge. You’re a dead man judge, you are a f**king dead man,” roared Ciaran Brady as he was being led away in cuffs out of Cavan District Court.

“This place is gone,” Brady (52) continued to scream in the direction of Judge Raymond Finnegan.

“You're all dead!” Brady then shouted at no one in particular as he was led from the courtroom outside.

Brady, who has previous convictions for making threats to kill or cause serious harm to others, was earlier escorted into the court for the hearing flanked by prison officers, the same who then quickly whisked the defendant from the room, after sentencing was passed.

The defendant has been behind bars at Dublin's Wheatfield Prison since May 1.

A plea of guilty was entered to all charges before the Cavan court through solicitor Damien Rudden, who informed Judge Finnegan the incidents “all happened” around the same period of time except for one “more serious” matter.

Brady was in custody at Castlerea Prison on October 22, 2024, when a volunteer with the Samaritans received a call from a person saying that Cavan General Hospital would be “blown up the following morning”.

The threat was taken “seriously” and, in response, hospital management and the HSE had to enact “contingency plans”. This included moving the most vulnerable patients to other hospital sites, while “extra” round the clock garda patrols were placed at the Lisdarn site.

“It was not taken lightly,” prosecuting Garda Sergeant Damien Galligan said of Brady's phoned threat.

The time and location the call was made was subsequently traced back to the prison and to Brady specifically.

The defendant had 37 previous convictions at the time, including for providing false information, nine more for threatening behaviour, and three for threats to damage property.

In 2021, Brady was sentenced for threatening his mental health key worker by telling him he'd get the “UVF” to kill them in a disagreement over what medication he was being prescribed.

Evidence was also given at Cavan District Court in relation to a series of other charges against Brady recorded over a number of days earlier this year.

Brady was arrested on April 20, 2025, after reports of a man standing in the middle of the road in Tullyvin village and “shouting” and generally acting aggressively to members of the public and passing traffic.

He was subsequently charged with threatening behaviour and with failing to comply with garda direction when told to leave the area.

He was arrested and released, but days later, on April 23, at Market Street, Cootehill, gardaí were speaking with Brady at 8:32am who suddenly became abusive, shouting at them: “f**k you c**t guard.”

Even after arrest Brady continued to make threats to kill the arresting garda and their “wife and family”.

The day after that, April 24, Garda Diarmuid Doran was on duty at Cootehill Garda Station when he answered a call from Brady who threatened that he was coming to “smash” the windows.

Judge Finnegan was told by Brady's solicitor Mr Rudden that the defendant suffers from schizophrenia.

He said since Brady had last entered custody that his client is now “back on his meds” since being put back inside.

Brady, who was born in the UK, has lived in rural Cavan since 2013.

Judge Finnegan though said that the charges were “serious” and showed a certain “continuity”.

The defendant's actions were “highly disruptive” and he imposed a three-month prison sentence back dated to May 1 for the threat to damage Cootehill Garda Station; three months consecutive for failure to comply, and nine months for sending a threat by means of communication.

All other charges were taken into account, and legal aid was granted.