Judge has ‘no hesitation’ in sentencing personal trainer for aggressive behaviour

A JUDGE has said he had “no hesitation” in sentencing a personal trainer for his aggressive behaviour towards paramedics who found him drunk and unconscious on the ground.

Shane Goodall was jailed for two months at Blanchardstown District Court when he admitted public order offences in the incident.

Judge David McHugh said the ambulance services had “enough to be doing.”

Goodall, aged 44 with an address at St Mark’s Green, Clondalkin, pleaded guilty to being drunk in public and engaging in threatening, abusive and insulting behaviour at Nangor Road, Clondalkin on September 2 last.

Sergeant Maria Callaghan told the judge gardai responded to a report that there was a highly intoxicated male lying on the ground.

When they arrived, an ambulance was at the scene and the crew were in the process of seeing to the accused.

Goodall became highly aggressive in the back of the ambulance as he was being treated and gardai were requested to intervene by the crew.

Goodall was arrested and brought to Clondalkin Garda Station where he was charged.

The accused had 41 previous convictions, Sgt Callaghan said.

These included public order and driving offences and several assaults.

Goodall was a personal trainer with his own business and had been clean and sober for a number of years, his barrister Ciaran MacLoughlin said.

He had lost his marriage and business and began drinking, the court heard. At the time of the incident, Goodall was unconscious on the ground and when the paramedics arrived, he was confused and disorientated, Mr MacLoughlin said.

Things “went very dark” for the accused around the time of the offences.

“This was simply a slip when things went very bad for him in his personal life”, Mr MacLoughlin said.

Goodall was now doing very well again, things were back on track for him and he hoped to reopen his business.

“I have no hesitation in jailing this man,” Judge McHugh said. “He has a violent past.”

What “swung” the case in favour of an outright sentence, the judge said, was the fact that the ambulance service was involved.

They “have enough to be doing,” he said, and he viewed this as an aggravating factor.