Man jailed in Cork for 'rampage of crime' that included barging into home of ex-girlfriend and calling her a 'rat bitch' 

A young woman was so afraid she rang the gardaí when her ex-boyfriend barged into her home calling her a “rat bitch” and now he has been jailed for committing this offence and others during a rampage of crime.

The 21-year-old turned up at his ex-girlfriend’s apartment in Cork at 7pm on February 21 and barged his way past her into her home.

“He called her a rat bitch and she was afraid she was going to be hurt,” Sergeant Gearóid Davis said.

He left the scene and the gardaí arrived to take a complaint from the young woman that the accused had breached a protection order by arriving and putting her in fear. The accused arrived again while this statement was being taken.

In an unrelated incident the same young man turned up outside another house in Cork city and smashed windows and damaged the car that was parked outside.

That incident occurred on June 14 2020 and the accused was with another man at the time and it was one of a number of incidents that occurred that night involving several parties who appeared to be in some kind of feud.

The same man was caught shoplifting twice at the same store – JD Sports on St. Patrick’s Street – on different dates.

He also broke into the Berehaven Bar in Cork city and stole alcohol. Sgt. Davis said the accused was found on a flat roof of an adjoining building when gardaí responded to the alarm call.

The accused man had smashed a window at the rear of the premises in order to steal alcohol.

Frank Buttimer, solicitor, said at an in camera hearing of Cork District Court – because the first case related to a breach of the Domestic Violence Act – that the accused had an extremely limited record of previous offending.

Mr Buttimer said the accused was anxious to talk to the complainant on the day in relation to his access to their child.

 He said that fortunately, the defendant and the young woman were now on better terms.

The solicitor said the 21-year-old got involved in this spree of offences because of an untreated addiction to prescription medication.

“He intends to return home to live with his mother and get proper access to treatment,” he said.

Judge Olann Kelleher called it a rampage of crime and imposed a total sentence of seven months in prison.