Man, who soiled cell walls, jailed
A MAN, who smeared excrement on the cell of a garda station after he was arrested for public order offences in Cavan Town, has been sentenced to three months in prison.
“You didn’t cover yourself in glory,” Judge Raymond Finnegan told Jason Daly with an address at Wadman Park, Blackrock, Co Louth, when he appeared before a recent sitting of Cavan District Court.
The court heard how, on May 1, 2022, Daly (31) was arrested for public intoxication at Main Street, Cavan, and for engaging in threatening or abusive language or behaviour and failing to comply with the directions of a member of An Garda Síochana on the same occasion.
When he was conveyed to Cavan Garda Station and placed in a cell, Daly “wiped human excrement all over the cell door, walls, ceiling, floor and mattress” within. He was subsequently also charged with criminal damage.
Sergeant Damien Galligan told Cavan District Court that officers on patrol on Main Street at 3am on the night in question observed an intoxicated male who was threatening members of the public.
“He was at a wedding and was threatening to knock out one of the males present,” Sgt Galligan said.
The officer also cited 48 previous convictions held by Daly for offences including violent disorder, aggravated harassment and two for theft.
The court heard the defendant had failed to turn up to court on at least two occasion to answer the charges against him.
When he appeared at Cavan District Court earlier this month, his barrister said the first thing Jason Daly wanted to do was apologise.
Defence barrister Dimitry Bergin BL told the judge his client had been “going through a separation at the time as well as taking meds, which didn’t mix well with alcohol”.
“He wanted to apologise but he couldn’t get the garda,” the barrister said. He also said Jason Daly is unable to pay compensation for the damage caused because he is in receipt of Disability Benefit.
“I don’t think the garda would have been too hard to track down,” the judge said before adding: “The criminal damage was particularly nasty.”
Daly simply said: “I know. Sorry.”
For the criminal damage to the garda cell, Daly was sentenced to three months in prison. He was also sentenced to three months in prison for failing to comply with the direction of a garda. The other charges against him were taken into consideration.
Judge Finnegan said both sentences are to run together and be backdated until the date Jason Daly was taken into custody, which means he is to spend a total of three months in prison beginning from July 18.