Cork man with 48 convictions for threatening conduct says he is not a violent person 

A CORK man who was convicted of engaging in threatening behaviour for the 48th time insisted that he was not a violent person.

Thirty-five-year-old Johnathan Murphy of Cork Simon Community was jailed for two months on Friday arising out of an incident last month at MacCurtain Street, Cork.

Sergeant John Kelleher said that after 9pm on February 28 garda Kate Sheehan approached the accused who was lying on the street with an empty one-litre vodka bottle beside him.

“He refused to provide his name and address and told Garda Sheenan to ‘f@ck off’ and said, ‘You’ll be sorry’, while aggressively gesturing towards her and cursing,” Sgt Kelleher said.

Mr Murphy was arrested and charged with refusing to provide his details when requested and being threatening and drunk and a danger.

He pleaded guilty to those charges at Cork District Court where Sgt Kelleher said the accused man had a total of 228 previous convictions, including 15 for burglary, 62 for being so intoxicated he was a danger and 47 for threatening conduct.

Aoife Buttimer, solicitor, said the accused had been homeless for the past four years. While he had been living on the streets for some of that time he now has a full-time bed with the Simon Community.

“He has not had a drink for a week which would be a big step for him. He had been living chaotically at the time of this incident. He says he is not a violent person,” Ms Buttimer said.

Judge Mary Dorgan imposed a prison sentence of two months on the accused.