Man denies damaging clothes at Dunnes Stores

A MAN has appeared at Cavan District Court charged with causing €225 worth of damage to clothes from Dunnes Stores and other public order charges.

Richard McCullough with an address of the Dundalk Simon Community appeared at a recent sitting of Cavan District Court on public order offences relating to two days in June.

At 6:20pm on June 6, Richard McCullough with an address of 37 Woodview, Bailieboro at the time, was arrested for public intoxication on Main Street, Bailieboro. On that occasion, McCullough was also charged with using threatening or abusive language or behaviour to gardaí.

“While gardaí were talking to him, he became very aggressive,” Sergeant Damien Galligan told the court.

In the district court the following day, he was remanded on bail but, when he failed to turn up for a second court hearing on June 12, a bench warrant was issued for his arrest.

Then, on June 18, Mr McCullough came to garda attention again for being intoxicated on Main Street, Bailieboro, and was subsequently arrested. During his hearing for that alleged offence, the Probation and Welfare Service was asked to prepare a report on Mr McCullough, and he was remanded on bail to appear at Cavan District Court on September 25.

In the interim, on September 4, McCullough was arrested for a third time for allegedly causing damage to €225 worth of clothes belonging to Dunnes Stores in Church Street, Cavan Town. The items included socks, trousers, shoes and shirts to the value of €97; a belt, hat, trainers, worth €20 and a jacket, valued at €15.

When he appeared in Cavan District Court on September 5, the judge ordered Richard McCullough to pay €500 cash bail but, when he was unable to pay the bail, he was remanded in custody with consent to bail to appear at Cavan District Court on September 11 for DPP directions.

He was remanded in custody twice more until he appeared at Cavan District Court by video link on October 2.

At that hearing, Richard McCullough pleaded not guilty to damaging the goods from Dunnes and the court heard the DPP recommended his case be dealt with in the district court.

When Judge Raymond Finnegan enquired if Mr McCullough had any previous convictions, he was told the 35 year old had 154 convictions including over 80 public order offences and four for assault.

Defence barrister Dimitri Grinberg said: “Unfortunately, Mr McCullough is a well-known person to court, but he is dealing with drugs services in prison.”

For the offence of threatening and abusive behaviour, Judge Raymond Finnegan sentenced McCullough to two months in prison starting from October 2 and took the two charges of public intoxication into consideration.

The judge set a date of April 4, 2026, for the criminal damage case to be heard.