A woman became suspicious of a letter addressed to her adult son and she opened it to find a threat to cut his face and the envelope also contained a mass card.

The woman from Passage West alerted her son who identified the sender as 58-year-old Desmond McCabe of 2 Fairfield Court, Farranree, Cork.

McCabe who is originally from Dublin was investigated by gardaí and today he pleaded guilty to the charge of sending a threatening message through the postal service.

Judge Olann Kelleher jailed him for five months.

Sgt Gearóid Davis said that on September 27, 2018 a woman found a letter addressed to her son in the post box of her house in Passage West.

The envelope contained a mass card with a threatening message.

“The correspondent alleged that his brother was on life support having got drugs from the recipient’s son. The threat was to her son that he would cut his face and this would act as a reminder that he would be next,” Sgt. Davis said.

The young man went to gardaí in Limerick where he was based and made a formal complaint about the threat that was sent to his mother’s house.

Sgt. Davis said after the accused pleaded guilty today at Cork District Court that he had 15 previous convictions including two for theft and three for burglary.

McCabe also admitted another crime today, namely forging a prescription at First Plus pharmacy on Glenwood Drive in Onslow Gardens, Cork.

Frank Buttimer, solicitor, said of McCabe, “He is estranged from his family. He has been living in Cork for a number of years. He lives in rented accommodation. The background to the more serious matter was that my client knew the injured party – although nothing ever happened (in relation to injury) – he provided accommodation to the injured party. 

"In effect, my client took him in. That status of the injured party is verified in his mother’s statement. She said her son had been couch-hopping from place to place.” 

Mr Buttimer said the defendant suffered some loss and fell out with the injured party.

“He chose to send a letter to the injured party. This letter was received by the mother of the injured party who brought it to the attention of the injured party. The injured party and his brother identified the defendant – recognising his writing and his use of language, idiom and so on.

“My client was arrested and immediately confirmed his actions. Nothing was ever intended to come from it. It offended his mother more than the recipient.

“It was a very untoward thing to do. It could have been worse if it had been more concealed as an effort,” Mr Buttimer said.

Judge Olann Kelleher said, “It is a very serious charge. It is not acceptable that a person can send a threatening letter and not end up in custody.” 

The judge sent two four-month concurrent sentences for the threatening letter and the unrelated forged prescription charge.