Man who breached safety order by putting mother in fear jailed

A drunken man lashed out verbally at his mother on Christmas Eve saying, “F*** ye, ye don’t know what it’s like.” 

This was the evidence at an in camera hearing of Cork District Court where the 39-year-old appeared on a charge of breaching a safety order by putting his mother in fear.

As well as the verbal abuse, the defendant kicked over a table at the family home, Sergeant Gearóid Davis said.

His mother had to leave the house to get to safety and call the gardaí.

Frank Buttimer, solicitor, said at the hearing – where the parties cannot be identified because the offence was under the Domestic Violence Act – that the accused was recovering from heroin addiction and was on a relatively low dosage of methadone now.

“He had been in throes of addiction when these events occurred. He generally has a good relationship with his mother,” Mr Buttimer said.

Sgt. Davis said there was no victim impact statement from the defendant’s mother. Judge Mary Dorgan said, “I have no doubt she would say, I love my son but I hate his behaviour when he is high.

“It is like a lot of these cases – when they are good they are very good but when they are bad they are rotten.” 

Telling the accused, “This has to stop,” the judge sentenced him to six months in prison with the last two months suspended for him to attend for addiction treatment following his release from prison.