Couple threatened to burn and kick neighbours

A COUPLE who threatened to burn their neighbour “out of the house” and kick his partner “up the street” appeared at Cavan District Court on a total of five charges between them.

Janice Crosby (36) and her partner Paul McCabe (38) both with an address at O’Raghallaigh Park, Cavan Town, were charged with offences relating to an altercation with their neighbours on the evening of June 6 last.

Both Crosby and McCabe were accused of using threatening and abusive language or behaviour against the couple who live beside them.

Janice Crosby was further charged with trespassing on and damaging her neighbours’ property namely bin bags. Paul McCabe was also charged with threatening to burn his neighbour Jim Reilly “out of the house”.

Garda Jim Guckian gave evidence at their hearing at Cavan District Court on November 13.

He said that Janice Crosby was involved in a verbal dispute with her neighbours.

“Janice Crosby threatened she was going to kill her,” the guard said. “She then caused damage to black bags spreading the contents across her neighbour’s property.”

Janice Crosby also told her neighbour she would “kick her up and down the street”.

Gda Guckian said Paul McCabe became involved in the dispute and was also verbally abusive to the neighbour’s partner. He also threatened to “burn Jim Reilly out of the house”.

The couple’s solicitor Garret Fortune explained the background has been an issue over car parking between the neighbours.

“My clients have an autistic son and when their neighbours were litter-picking they picked up an old toy belonging to him.

“The child got very upset, his parents got very upset, and it just kicked off after that,” Mr Fortune said. He added that there has been no issues between the parties since.

The solicitor said the only criminal damage caused was to bin bags. Mr Fortune also said Paul McCabe “just lost the head and knows he shouldn’t have”. He pleaded guilty to the charge of threatening his neighbour at an earlier hearing and the DPP had directed to take the charge of using threatening or abusive language into consideration.

He explained how Janice Crosby was a full-time mum to three children and has three previous convictions, the most recent of which, a traffic offence, dates back to February this year.

Paul McCabe has 63 previous convictions including for assault and public order offences.

The couple had gathered €410 cash and brought it with them “as a means of apologising, a gesture of remorse”, Garrett Fortune appealed in conclusion.

Describing the altercation as a “particularly nasty incident”, Judge Ciaran Liddy said he was not going to “let money complicate it” and convicted Paul McCabe of threatening his neighbour for which the judge sentenced him to six months in prison but suspended the sentenced for a year.

The judge convicted Janice Crosby of criminal damage and fined her €500 giving her six months to pay.

The other charges against her were marked proven and taken into consideration.