Jail for man who threatened to put 'bullet in head' of garda

“I’ll put a bullet in your head,” a member of An Garda Síochána was told by a 53-year-old man who also called him a “dead man walking.” 

This threatening behaviour was described by Sergeant Aisling Murphy at Cork District Court where Raymond Stubbin of Cork Simon Community was jailed for three months for this and other public order offences.

“At lunchtime on August 27 at Parnell Place, gardaí observed Raymond Stubbin and found that he was unsteady on his feet. He had thrown a chair from outside a café along the footpath.

“He was escorted in from the middle of the road where there was oncoming traffic.

“While waiting for garda transport, Raymond Stubbin became threatening and abusive to gardaí and members of the public who were passing by.

“He said to one garda, ‘I’ll put a bullet in your head’, ‘You’re a dead man walking’. And he called them a number of other unsavoury names,” Sgt Murphy said.

The 53-year-old pleaded guilty to being threatening and abusive and to being so drunk that he was a danger to himself or others at the time.

He also admitted committing two similar public order offences at South Mall, Cork, on August 8.

On August 1 at Kilkenny Design on Emmet Place, he stole cosmetics to the value of €95. And on the same date at Aldi in Bishopstown he stole a bottle of vodka.

In the first offence of this series of charges, on July 30 he was intoxicated to such an extent that he was a danger at Fitzgerald’s Park.

Previous convictions

In terms of previous convictions, Sgt Murphy said the accused had 32 previous convictions for being drunk and a danger and five for threatening behaviour.

Stephen Cotter solicitor said: “His big issue really is with alcohol. His thefts are largely opportunistic with no forethought.

“He would be a vulnerable person and is segregated in the prison to a certain degree. He says he would like to give up the drink and continue to engage with the psychiatrist he is seeing.”