Jailed for four months for shouting abuse at tourists in Cork city

A 56-YEAR-OLD Cork man shouting abuse at visitors to Cork city was sentenced to four months in jail for his actions.

Francis Kearns shouted the words: “F***ing foreigners. Taking all our jobs. C***s.”

Sergeant Gearóid Davis outlined the background to the offences committed by Kearns of Mount Rivers, Carrigaline, County Cork.

On July 21, 2022, Kearns was found to be threatening and abusive and was drunk to the extent he was a danger to himself or others.

When he came before the court for these latest offences he already had a total of 200 convictions for being drunk and a danger and for being threatening. Judge Olann Kelleher said a prison sentence had to be imposed on Kearns on this occasion.

Diarmuid Kelleher, solicitor, said the accused never caused a problem sober, was a gentleman, and worked very successfully when given community service orders.

Judge Kelleher said the real difficulty in the present case was that there was a nastiness about what the defendant said.

As well as the verbal abuse of visitors to Cork, he also caused a drunken disturbance and was threatening to staff and to gardaí at Boyle Sports on Castle Street on April 13.

He pleaded guilty to these public order offences and others of a similar nature committed recently. Judge Kelleher imposed an overall sentence of four months on him at Cork District Court.