Man who threatened to ‘punch jaw off’ garda in Cork city jailed

A 30-year-old man being released from a Garda station with a charge sheet and bail bond held up the documents and threatened to burn them and to punch the jaw off a member of An Garda Síochána.

Shane Keating, of 23 Fairfield Green, Farranree, Cork, was jailed for eight months for this and other offences.

Sergeant John Dineen said the incident occurred on July 15, 2023, just after the defendant was released from custody at Gurranabraher Garda Station.

“He began shouting and roaring in the public office of the Garda station and behaving in a threatening and abusive manner.

“He held up his charge sheet and bail bond, saying to Garda Shane Halligan, ‘I am going to f***ing burn these’.

“He then shouted, ‘You f***ing sausage, I’m going to f***ing punch your jaw off’. When told he was going to be arrested, he said, ‘You would, yah, I’d punch the f***head off you’,” Sgt Dineen said.

A week earlier, the same man was verbally abusive to Garda Eoghan O’Mahony, telling him, at Fairfield Green, ‘F*** off back into your sheep-shagging van and f*** off out of here.’ He also called him names and asked him to take off his stab vest and to fight him.

As well as these public-order offences, he admitted driving without insurance on April 8 at Fairfield Green — something for which he has been convicted several times before.

He had cannabis for his own use at Arderrin Way, The Glen, Cork, on August 2, 2023.

Judge Mary Dorgan imposed a total sentence of eight months on the accused.

Shane Collins-Daly, solicitor, said, “He wants to apologise for his words and behaviour.” 

Judge Dorgan addressed the accused directly when he appeared in Cork District Court by video link from prison, “The language was pretty extreme. When you listen to it, now that you are sober, you could probably realise that drink does not agree with you.” 

Mr Collins-Daly said the defendant went off the rails when his mother died last year. “He was not turning up in court and was just putting his head in the sand. He knew the day would come and he has now been arrested,” Mr Collins-Daly said.