www.communityvoice.ie - All the top news stories from Dublin 15

In the courts

Wing mirror vandal out of character

Caught in possession of a Garda car wing mirror, a Castleknock man became verbally abusive before being arrested and charged, a judge was told.

Twenty year old Mark O’Loughlin of Laverna Way, Carpenterstown pleaded guilty to causing criminal damage and engaging in threatening, abusive or insulting behaviour in a public place. The incident happened on January 17th this year outside the Travelodge Hotel in Swords.

“The defendant was observed with the wing mirror off a patrol car,” stated arresting officer Sgt Paul Madden. “A staff member informed gardaí that he had broken it off. He became verbally abusive and was arrested and charged.” However, once charged, O’Loughlin admitted the offence and was cooperative, he said.

“He is studying with FÁS, doing a business and computer course and as part of that is employed two days a week with Homestore & More in Blanchardstown and gets €120 a week,” his solicitor told the court. “He admits he was drunk and he did cooperate. He had a few drinks and things got out of hand. He is old enough to know better.

“He lives with his parents and when he got home, he woke them up to tell them. They were shocked, as it was out of character,” she said.

O'Loughlin had brought €500 to court to hand over to cover the cost of the damage. However, as Sgt. Madden did not have an exact value on the damage carried out, Judge Brady adjourned the case for a week to ascertain the actual cost of the repairs.

Cabbie escapes jail

A local taxi driver caught with drugs worth nearly €500,000 three years ago has escaped a custodial sentence.

Darrell Clarke (31) of Whitestown Park in Blakestown had pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to having possession of the drugs for sale or supply at various locations in the city on May 23rd 2007. He had been helping criminals to distribute vast amounts of cocaine and ecstasy together with drug paraphernalia and mixing agents around the city at the time of his arrest. He had been stopped as a result of a Garda surveillance operation.

However since his arrest Clarke had undergone a sea change, according to his defence counsel Conor Devally. He was now committed to helping people with drug problems in his local community and is due to start an addiction studies degree at university, he said.

Judge Katherine Delahunt said this was one of the "very very few" serious drugs cases where she had encountered such a dramatic change in an accused person. As a result, she said, she would be dealing with the case in a "highly unusual way" because of the "most dramatic turnaround" in Clarke's life since the offence.

Ordering him to carry out 240 hours of community service in lieu of six years in jail, the judge said she considered it far more appropriate to let Clarke continue with his community work in lieu of jail time after hearing such positive evidence of his rehabilitation.

Early morning drunk fined

A forty year old father of five was fined €800 at Blanchardstown District Court for stealing four bottles of wine, public drunkenness and threatening and abusive behaviour.

The incident happened at 8am last November 15th when Eugene O’Connor of Cappagh Road in Finglas arrived at the Texaco Service Station on the Ballycoolin Road looking for drink. He had attended a 21st birthday party the night before and had been on an all-night bender with his younger brother.

When the shopkeeper informed him that she couldn’t sell alcohol until 10.30am, O’Connor became verbally abusive towards her, threatening to smash a bottle of wine in her face. He then attempted to assault a security guard who stopped him as he tried to leave the shop with the four bottles of wine valued at €44.

Garda Sgt. Damien Galligan said gardaí were called to the Texaco garage shortly after 8am following reports of a theft. He described O’Connor as being “very drunk” and angry at being refused.

Tracey Horan, defending, said O’Connor was very upset about the incident and wished to apologise to gardaí. Things escalated and got out of hand, she said.

Judge Hugh O'Donnell said the incident was "nasty" and the shopkeeper had been abused for simply abiding by the law in refusing to sell alcohol outside off-licence hours.

HSE bullying case settled

A Former assistant manager at a Dublin refuge for victims of domestic violence has settled her legal proceedings over alleged bullying and intimidation by her senior manager.

Brenda Ryan, a mother of three of Fernleigh Drive, Carpenterstown brought the action against the HSE claiming her difficulties began after she wrote an unfavourable report in 1996 concerning a fellow worker who was a close friend of Kathy Moore, her senior manager.

Ms. Ryan had been employed as an assistant manager at the refuge at Rathmines for about twenty years. The High Court heard that when that worker applied for a permanent position with the HSE, Ms. Ryan claimed she received persistent communication from Ms. Moore demanding the report be retracted in full because it was frustrating the woman’s attempt to be made permanent.

From that moment on, Ms. Ryan was subjected to an “extraordinary campaign of bullying, intimidation and isolation,” her counsel Richard Kean SC said. As a result, Ms Ryan began to suffer very significant psychological and emotional problems.

Severely and unfairly criticised on an “almost daily basis” by Ms. Moore, a fact attested to by seven witnesses, there followed “a litany of extraordinary behaviour”, inappropriate harassment, intimidation and abuse at the hands of Ms. Moore towards Ms. Ryan, counsel said.

Mr. Kean said his client was subjected to “unbelievable vulgar insults” and lies and malicious rumours about her were also directed to staff and victims in the refuge centre. As a result, Ms. Ryan found it necessary to take a career break from July 2000 to July 2002 because of her emotional and psychological problems. When she returned, the problems worsened.

She went on sick leave on April 24th, 2005 and was put on half pay in January 2006 when her employment was terminated, counsel said. She was willing to return to work but only if it was away from where Ms. Moore worked. Counsel said his client suffered from a depressive illness as a result of the bullying received.

Aongus Ó Brolchain SC, for the HSE, said it was denied there was any such bullying, abuse or threatening language. He also said, when Ms. Ryan had sought her two-year career break, she had written on the relevant form it was for “domestic reasons” and had not said it was related to bullying.

Ms. Ryan was a night assistant manager while Ms. Moore worked days and there was very little contact between the two women, counsel also stated.

Before a verdict could be reached, Richard Kean, for Ms. Ryan, told High Court president Mr. Justice Nicholas Kearns that the case had been settled and could be struck out.

The details of the settlement are unknown.

Community Voice, Media House, Church Avenue, Blanchardstown, Dublin 15
Phone +353 1 822 1432 - Fax +353 1 640 4444
info@communityvoice.ie