Criminals going in and out of prison in ‘jig time’ - judge

JUDGE Raymond Finnegan’s frustration at the ongoing early release system pertaining in prisons was vented yet again at a recent sitting of Monaghan District Court, where he opted to give a serial public order defendant a chance to engage with the Probation Service after determining that prison was “not working” in this instance.

Michael Sherlock (53) of no fixed abode, Monaghan Town, had pleaded guilty to being abusive and intoxicated while at Mall Road, Monaghan Town, on January 6, 2025. Judge Finnegan was reminded that the defendant, who was well known to the court, had 195 previous convictions, and had been most recently released from prison a day after he was jailed for a month on December 22, 2025.

Sergeant Lisa McEntee said that, at 3:17pm on the Monday in question, gardaí received a report about a man passed out on the footpath. When officers arrived and woke the defendant, they noted that he was very intoxicated and appeared to have urinated.

He then started to shout abuse at gardaí, using various profanities and referring to them as “handicapped c**ts” and “dirty bastards”. Other members of the public were in the area and he was arrested, the sergeant said.

When Judge Finnegan put it to Sherlock that his behaviour “wasn’t very nice”, he replied: “No judge, I was intoxicated and I don’t even remember.”

He accepted, however, that this wasn’t a great excuse, and also confirmed that he had apologised to Garda Emmet Harte since.

Sgt McEntee said the defendant had 195 previous convictions in total. The most recent was on December 22 gone by when he was given a one-month sentence for a theft, while on November 13, 2025, at Cavan he got a three-month suspended sentence for a burglary.

Among his previous offences were 44 for intoxication, 35 for abusive behaviour and 36 for thefts, the sergeant added.

“Drink doesn’t agree with you, Michael,” the judge stated. Mr Sherlock agreed. But the judge said prison obviously did agree with him, as he seemed to love going in and out of it.

The defendant said he didn’t like going into prison, but Judge Finnegan wondered what other options were left, given that community service wasn’t one of them.

Solicitor Roisin Courtney said her client was, for years, a chronic alcoholic of no fixed abode, and that what was happening was “just a vicious circle”. He usually looked better when he came out of prison, she noted.

The judge said that was because he was effectively detoxing while inside.

Sgt McEntee pointed out that Sherlock had been released the day after he was sent to prison for a month on December 22 last.

Judge Finnegan agreed that this was the problem. He said gardaí are “beating their heads off the wall” and that there is “absolutely no deterrent”. People knew they would be in and out of prison “in jig time”.

Ms Courtney suggested that her client be given a chance to engage with the Probation Service, and while the judge was sceptical about whether Sherlock would cooperate at all in this way, he said he would give him a chance because prison was “not working”.

Remanding him on bail to March 23 next, he directed a Probation and Welfare report but warned Sherlock that, if he were uncooperative with the service, another prison sentence was on the way.