Gardaí were jeered about the death of one of their colleagues when they were dealing with a public order situation in Cork city.

Michael Bartold who was living at an apartment at St. Joseph’s Villas, Old Blackrock Road, Cork, was jailed for four months today when he pleaded guilty to engaging in threatening, abusive or insulting words or behaviour during the incident in June.

Judge Olann Kelleher sentenced the defendant to two months in respect of the threatening charge and imposed a four-month concurrent sentence for a shoplifting incident and three counts of failing to appear in court for cases against him.

Sergeant Pat Lyons said the insulting and abusive comments were made at Summerhill North, Cork, on June 25.

Gardaí encountered the accused shortly before 3pm. He was unsteady on his feet and unable to verbalise coherently.

“He then became abusive to gardaí making several derogatory comments regardaíng their recently deceased colleague,” Sgt. Lyons said.

The 35-year-old also pleaded guilty to stealing a Parker pen and a stamp at Eason’s on St. Patrick Street on February 21.

Bartold had 57 previous convictions including eleven for being drunk and a source of danger, one for engaging in threatening behaviour and eight for theft.

Defence solicitor, Eddie Burke, said, the accused had been living in Ireland since 2006 and had been in an out of the Simon Community.

“He had been doing extremely well recovering from a heroin addiction but unfortunately he had a slip and he fell back into homelessness. He is disgusted with himself for the slip. He is hoping to get help when in custody,” Mr Burke said.