Drunken barber gets 28 days suspended
By Brendan Grehan
A BARBER who stood drunk in the middle of a road in Clondalkin with two young children screaming and crying at one in the morning received a 28-day suspended sentence.
The 39-year-old was before Judge David McHugh in Blanchardstown District Court for a probation report.
Blanchardstown District Court
The court had heard that at 1.10am on September 7 last, the gardai had been called to a road in Clondalkin as they had received numerous calls that a man was standing in the middle of the road with two young children who were screaming and crying.
When the gardai arrived at the scene, they observed that the man was drunk.
The court had heard that the man works as a barber and he had finished work at 10pm the previous evening.
His partner had gone out and left him to mind the children. He had missed his bus stop and was trying to flag down a car as he was stuck “in the dead of night”, his solicitor had told the court.
The man, aged 39, who has an address in West Dublin, and cannot be identified for legal reasons, pleaded guilty to being drunk in charge of a child at the Bawnogue Road, Clondalkin, on September 7, 2019, contrary to Section 9 of the Summary Jurisdiction (Ireland) Act, 1908.
The man’s counsel, Ciaran MacLoughlin Bl, said his client takes full responsibility for his actions and wanted to apologise to the court.
He said the man wants to apologise to the court and was “deeply embarrassed” about the incident. Mr MacLoughlin said his client was at a low risk of re-offending and had no previous convictions.
He said TUSLA had carried out an investigation and the children were deemed to be not at risk.
Judge McHugh told Mr MacLoughlin that under Section 9 of the Summary Jurisdiction (Ireland) Act, 1908, the penalties were a fine of five shillings and one months imprisonment with or without hard labour.
He added: “The key thing is it is a very serious matter.”
He noted that TUSLA had carried out an investigation and that the defendant is at a low risk of re-offending.
He sentenced the man to 28 days imprisonment, suspended for 12 months.
TAGS news
