Six months for Samurai sword wielding pilot

Jailed as a result of incident at parents’ house

A MAN, who was already in custody on other matters, was given a six-month prison sentence at Cavan District Court for wielding a samurai sword at a guard during an altercation at his parents’ home.

David McEnroe (41), who lives at his parents’ house at Garryross, Virginia, was produced to appear in court on May 15 charged with producing the sword, producing a chainsaw “in a threatening and irate manner in the course of a dispute”, obstructing a garda in the execution of his duty, and assaulting each of his parents.

Judge Gerry Jones was told McEnroe was in custody on other “fresh” charges and that his mother and father had “no appetite” to pursue the assault charges against him.

Gda Dermot Bland was one of the gardaí who responded to a call from David McEnroe’s twin brother in America over the altercation on May 22 last. His brother raised the alarm after he saw David McEnroe’s rampage on a camera he has linked to a device in the United States.

Gda Bland told the court that, at 19:36 on the evening in question, McEnroe came from inside the house with a bottle of whiskey in his hand. He raised the bottle over his mother’s head and struck her over the head with it. Then he broke the bottle and threatened his mother with it saying: ‘You see what I can do? You see what I can do?’

McEnroe then proceeded to try to start a chainsaw that was nearby.

At 19:45, McEnroe came from the house again and poured a five-litre bottle of water over his mother and father.

In his evidence, Gda Bland said when they arrived at the house David McEnroe’s parents were outside the back of the house sitting in deckchairs.

“As I was talking to them, I could hear the suspect shouting and roaring from a back room,” Gda Bland said.

As he went into the house, his colleague stayed with Mrs McEnroe who was “quite obstructive”.

“I opened the front door in case I needed an exit,” Gda Bland explained, “then David McEnroe came out of a bedroom, and he was carrying a samurai sword. I shouted at him to drop the sword.”

McEnroe retreated back into the bedroom from where he shouted at gardaí to get a warrant. “I heard the sound of metal dropping,” Gda Bland said, “the suspect then opened the bedroom door again and shouted abuse.”

When he came back out of the room, Gda Bland cautioned McEnroe and recovered a three-foot sword from the bedroom, which McEnroe had left beside a radiator. Gardaí then arrested McEnroe before taking him to Bailieborough Garda Station for questioning.

Judge Gerry Jones enquired if the defendant has any previous convictions and was told he has 27 including for threatening behaviour, violent disorder, failing to appear in court, driving offences and “fresh charges from this morning”.

When defence solicitor Catherine Taaffe put it to Gda Bland that David McEnroe has a good relationship with his parents, the guard responded: “only when there is no intoxicant present.”

He accepted the family are very close and agreed that McEnroe did not manage to start the chainsaw but “tripped over it”.

“Mr McEnroe is a bit of an unusual fish,” Ms Taaffe told the judge. She explained how he used to be a pilot and has a Phd in aerodynamics and physics.

“He is intellectually very bright but, emotionally, he does not regulate himself,” she said.

The solicitor also said David McEnroe “did about a month” at the Aiseiri Treatment Centre in Wexford and has engaged with the Merchant’s Quay addiction services where a psychologist confirmed McEnroe suffers from PTSD.

“He accepts he did wrong,” Catherine Taaffe said, “I would ask the court to just take cognisance that, although he’s failed over treatment, he has tried.”

Inspector O’Donohoe reminded Judge Jones that McEnroe’s parents wished to withdraw the charges of assault against them.

For producing the samurai sword in a threatening and irate manner at Gda Bland, the judge sentenced McEnroe to six months in prison from the date of his court appearance on May 15.

The charges of assault on his parents were struck out and all the other charges relating to the altercation at the McEnroe family home were taken into consideration.

Catherine Taaffe said it was her instructions to ask the judge to fix recognisances in the event of an appeal, which, Judge Gerry Jones did at €150.

Sgt Damien Galligan asked the judge to make a destruction order for the samurai sword and two chainsaws, which, the judge also duly did.