Jail for intoxicated man who threatened to stab friend at their Cork home

AN intoxicated man staying at a friend’s house in Douglas threatened to stab him but the victim talked him down saying – “You wouldn’t stab a friend.”

William Condon pleaded guilty to making the death threat but said of himself that he is a good person at heart, who needs to ‘fix’ his drink problem.

Detective Garda John O’Donovan gave evidence at Cork Circuit Criminal Court of the threat to kill made by William Condon and the theft of a passport at his friend’s house.

Condon did not have a home of his own at the time and was staying with a friend in Douglas on the night of February 2 last.

However, there was an altercation and Condon threatened his friend that he would stab him.

The friend managed to defuse the situation and calm him down. The young man said to Condon, “You wouldn’t stab a friend.” However, matters kicked off again later and Condon challenged his friend to step outside to fight him. Again the friend managed to defuse the situation, Garda O’Donovan said at Cork District Court.

The next morning when Condon was leaving the house he stole the passport belonging to his friend’s brother.

When Condon was questioned by gardaí about the threat to kill, he said, “I am sorry for what I said to him. I was wrong in every way. He is my childhood friend. I am so sorry. There is no one to blame except myself. Drink is a lot of my problem. It is what I need to fix. I know I am a good person at heart. It’s drink that changes me. I want to address that and be a better man.”

Judge Dara Hayes said that in all the circumstances he would impose a sentence of 18 months with 12 month of it suspended on condition that he would place himself under the care of the probation service, in particular in relation to treatment for alcohol addiction.