Suspended sentence activated

A man, already on a suspended sentence for threatening to kill gardaí, went on to damage a pharmacy door before stealing tanning oil from another, and then urinated in the back of the garda van following his arrest.

Richard McCullough (35), was given a two-and-a-half year suspended sentence back in December 2024 for the threat to kill offences, but pleaded guilty to the later offences at Cavan District Court in September 2025.

McCullough, with an address at Dundalk Simon Community, Louth, was handed four consecutive three month prison sentences (totalling 12 months) for causing damage by throwing a rock through the glass front door of Dun an Rí Pharmacy at Kells Road, Kingscourt, on August 20, 2025. The value of the damage was €400. He also assaulted a member of staff there, by throwing a keyboard at the woman’s chest.

After he was arrested, McCullough was found in possession of the tanning oil (€25) which was taken from Callan’s, another pharmacy located nearby.

McCullough was placed in the prison van, but after arriving at Bailieborough Garda Station officers found the defendant had urinated on the floor, which cost €100 to clean.

He was sentenced in January of this year.

McCullough’s suspended sentence was linked to making the threats to kill and with two counts of producing a kitchen knife during the course of a dispute at Ballinamoney, Bailieborough, on January 15, 2022.

Evidence was given that when gardaí attended, McCullough roared at them:“I’ve a gun and knives”.

He also threatened: “Don’t come near me. I’ll slash you.”

Two knives were found, including the “large wooden handled” knife seen sticking out from the defendant’s jeans.

At the recent circuit court sitting, evidence was provided by Probation Officer Paul Gates that he had initially attempted to make contact with McCullough after the December 2024 sentencing, at a time when he was living at Dundalk Simon Community. He later found the defendant had been admitted to hospital. They spoke once, but after that McCullough appeared to “disengage” from the service.

“He was supposed to come back the next day but never did,” said Mr Gates.

Sergeant James McGovern told the court the two-and-a-half year sentence imposed on McCullough was suspended for 18 months.

There were other offences to which McCullough has since pleaded guilty, including for intoxication in July 2025, the theft of a sandwich worth €4 in September last year, and an offence at Dunnes Stores, also September, where McCullough entered the store and started knocking items from shelves, causing €225 worth of damage.

Judge Aylmer was told at the sentence activation hearing that McCullough’s “main problem” is drugs.

“He failed in every respect it seems,” said the judge of McCullough’s attempts to comply with the conditions he had set out. He activated the suspended sentence, to be served consecutively to the current sentence McCullough is serving for the Kingscourt pharmacy matters.