Man failed to appear in court as 'he didn't know what day it was'

A bench warrant had to be issued to bring an accused man before Youghal District Court, because he had not turned up on a previous occasion.

“He didn’t know what day it was,” the court heard.

Court presenter Sergeant Majella O’Sullivan told the court that Krystian Bernat, aged 39, with an address at Cork Simon Community, Andersons Quay, Cork, was charged with public intoxication and threatening and abusive behaviour.

Gardaí were called to an incident at Summerfield Cross in Youghal on October 1, 2025. When they arrived, Bernat was in a highly intoxicated state and almost fell off the footpath into oncoming traffic.

Bernat was shouting and swearing and threatened gardaí and he was arrested for his own safety and the safety of others. The court was told he had 10 previous convictions, all for public order offences.

Bernat’s solicitor, Vicky Buckley, said he was a chronic alcoholic and he didn’t previously turn up in court to address the charges, because he “didn’t know what day it was”.

Ms Buckley said Bernat was, in effect, homeless and was in very difficult circumstances.

For public intoxication, Judge Miriam Walsh fined Bernat €20, which forfeited a previous cash bail lodgement.

For threatening and abusive behaviour, Bernat was sentenced to one month in prison.

Funded by the Courts Reporting Scheme