Two months suspended sentence for SuperValu incident
By Brendan Grehan
A DRUNK who was abusive to a female supermarket staff member received a two-month suspended sentence.
Sentencing Darren Byrne in Blanchardstown District Court, Judge David McHugh said: “He is back to his old form, substantially.”
Byrne, aged 48, with an address at New Bawn Drive, Tallaght, pleaded guilty to public drunkenness and breaching the peace at Supervalu, Rowlagh, Clondalkin, on June 7, 2018.
Sergeant Maria Callaghan told the court that at 7.20pm on the above date, Gardai were on patrol on the Neilstown Road and they observed Byrne in an altercation with a female outside Supervalu.
She said Byrne was intoxicated and was being verbally abusive to the female and the gardai intervened.
Sgt Callaghan said Byrne was asked to desist but he continued to be abusive to the female and was arrested.
She said the female was a staff member of Supervalu.
Sgt Callaghan said Byrne had 26 previous convictions.
At Dublin Circuit Court on December 10, 2014, he had been sentenced to four years with two years suspended for making a threat to kill.
Byrne’s solicitor, Matthew Kenny, said his client had suffered a serious head injury after a road traffic accident. He said the incident had happened after Byrne had been drinking.
Judge McHugh said the offence was at the higher end of the scale and it wasn’t a family argument.
Mr Kenny said Byrne would like to apologise to the staff member.
Judge McHugh sentenced Byrne to two months jail, suspended for 12 months.
