Cork court: ‘I’ll break your neck,' drunk man told garda

A 51-year-old man told a member of An Garda Síochána he would break his neck and kill him during the height of a drunken incident.

James Conway, of Old Farmhouse, Carrignafoy, Cobh, Co Cork, pleaded guilty to a charge of obstruction of a member of An Garda Síochána.

The defendant also pleaded guilty to charges of engaging in threatening behaviour and being drunk and a danger.

Commenting that the obstruction charge was serious and could carry a maximum term of up to 12 months, Judge Mary Dorgan said that a sentence of six months was merited.

Sergeant Gearóid Davis said the incident occurred after 7pm on July 25 when two men got into an altercation at Kent train station: 

“On arrival, they saw James Conway slumped in a doorway. He was assisted to his feet and it was noted that he was highly intoxicated. There was a strong smell of intoxicating liquor from him and he was unsteady on his feet. He was intoxicated to such an extent that he was a danger to himself and others. He began shouting at gardaí, saying: ‘F**k you’, ‘I’ll kill you’, and ‘I’ll break your neck’.”

Judge Dorgan said that people had to respect members of An Garda Síochána who went out to work like anybody else, and that they should be respected and not threatened.

The judge added that one never knows when a threat like that is meant or not, and that it would be a source of worry to the threatened person.

Judge Dorgan said: “This was a most unsavoury situation — guards doing their job should not have to put up with that.

“No one knows that they are idle threats or real threats.”

The judge backdated the sentence to October 23 to take account of time Conway has already spent in custody.

Solicitor Eddie Burke said: “Drink has his life ruined. On numerous occasions, he has tried to get help, but falls down. He is now getting help in custody.”