‘I won't tolerate that in my district’ – judge

A VIRGINIA man, who assaulted a guard and a bus station employee when he was drunk, has been jailed for 13 months.

A bench warrant was executed for the arrest of Ronan Cahill of Cloghergoole, Virginia, after he failed to turn up at a previous sitting of Cavan District Court.

The 53-year-old had been summoned to court to answer five charges against him including being intoxicated in a public place; using threatening, abusive or insulting language; resisting arrest and assaulting a bus worker and a guard.

All charges relate to an altercation on July 5, 2023.

The court heard that, on that date, gardaí responded to reports of Cahill being drunk in the River Street area of Cavan Town.

Officers, including a Garda McGill, caught up with Cahill at Cavan Bus Station on Farnham Street in the town where they were told he had been causing further disruption after he was refused access onto a bus.

“It was a security matter for the driver,” Sergeant Damien Galligan told the court.

In the altercation, Cahill kicked a Bus Éireann employee, Mr Rezaul Alam, in the groin,” the Garda Sergeant said.

“He was aggressive and abusive and causing a nuisance to customers.”

Gda McGill took the witness stand in the case and described how Cahill’s abusive and violent behaviour continued in Cavan Garda Station. He further described how Cahill hit him twice in the face and once in the back of the throat when he attempted to arrest him.

Judge Raymond Finnegan suggested both violent attacks by Cahill on the employee and guard were “particularly vicious” to which Gda McGill said: “Yes judge, he was very aggressive.”

When the judge asked Gda McGill what injuries he sustained, the guard said he was off duty for two weeks but didn’t incur any financial loss.

Defending, Damien Rudden, solicitor, said his client was drunk at the time of the offences and “has a problem with alcohol”.

Turning to his client, Mr Rudden asked Cahill: “Did you hear that? Have you anything to say to Garda McGill.”

As Cahill made to contradict some of the details of the events of the day in question Mr Rudden interjected to say: “We are past that stage. You are being convicted. Have you anything to say to Garda McGill?” to which Ronan Cahill turned to the guard he assaulted and said: “I’m sorry”.

When Judge Finnegan enquired about the defendant’s previous convictions, Sergeant Galligan said Ronan Cahill had 19 previous convictions for similar offences, his most recent being a public order offence in 2024.

Noting there was no active suspended sentences in place for Cahill's previous offending, the Judge told him: “I’m sure it’s been explained to you my attitude to anyone interfering with frontline workers in their line of work.

“In my opinion the only way to deal with this appropriately is a lengthy prison sentence.”

For resisting arrest, Judge Finnegan sentenced Cahill to five months’ imprisonment. He imposed four month sentences on each of the charges of assaulting the Bus Éireann employee and garda McGill.

“That’s 13 months in prison from today,” the Judge reaffirmed. “I won’t tolerate that in my district.”