Woman pleads guilty to abusive behaviour on Cork street 

A 39-year-old Cork woman shouted at a man in the centre of Cork city to “f*** off back to your own country” at a time then there was a lot of people on the street.

Now at Cork District Court, Jennifer Rodgers has pleaded guilty to engaging in threatening, abusive or insulting words or behaviour and being drunk and a danger at the time. “Drink brings out a side of me I really don’t like,” she said.

Defence solicitor, Eddie Burke, said, that from the end of 2022 to the middle of 2023, Ms Rodgers did stay off alcohol against a background of a longtime difficulty with drink. Mr Burke said a traumatic event sent her back into the spiral of alcohol addiction again.

“In relation to this incident, she would be the first to say that the language used was very unsavoury to say the least but she was in the depths of intoxication.

“Some of her other intoxication charges relate to times like 8.30 in the morning, showing how bad she was in terms of her addiction. Housing First are very good to her. And she has engaged with Coolmine. She could not handle the trauma that beset her family and got into these difficulties. She is planning to go back to Crosshaven when she is released from prison,” Mr Burke said at Cork District Court.

Arrested

Ms Rodgers, who was living with Cork Simon Community, was arrested on Sunday morning, January 14, for stealing a bottle of vodka valued €22 from Tesco on Paul Street that morning shortly after 11am.

She was charged at the Bridewell with shoplifting arising out of this and then released on station bail to turn up at Cork District Court on Wednesday, January 17.

However, she was arrested again later that Sunday afternoon and charged with stealing another bottle of vodka valued €22 – this time from Dunnes Stores on Patrick Street.

Now she has pleaded guilty to those and other thefts and public order offences. She stole a small item from Phelan’s pharmacy on Patrick Street on September 20, 2023, and she made the remark to the man about going back to his own country during a drunken incident on December 5 2023 at Oliver Plunkett Street.

She also called a garda “a f***ing c***t” and said to him, “F*** off, your rookie, go back to Templemore.” 

At The Metropole Hotel on MacCurtain Street, on New Year’s Day, she went behind a counter and stole a €40 bottle of Martini.

She has 65 previous convictions for theft, 18 for being drunk and a danger and five for engaging in threatening behaviour.

At Cork District Court, the defendant said: “I really really really want to get back on track.” 

Compensation

Mr Burke said she would gather that €125 in compensation for the various thefts. The solicitor asked for a probation report to be prepared on the accused when she is in custody.

Judge Mary Dorgan said: “As I have said before, these (shoplifting offences) are not victimless crimes.” 

The judge also asked for a prison governor’s report on the defendant, reminding her: “When you are sober you are not offending.” Ms Rodgers said: “I have had time to reflect. I am a completely different person when I’m on alcohol. I am not getting any younger. Drink brings out a side of me I really don’t like.” 

Sentencing was put back until February 14.