Fine for man who called garda ‘a f***ing b****’ at Cork protest 

A man who called a male garda “a fucking bitch” at the Whitegate fuel protests has been convicted of a public order offence.

Darragh Desmond, age 24, had been charged with threatening and abusive behaviour on Trabolgan Rd in Whitegate on April 11, 2026.

Midleton District Court heard how at the Whitegate fuel protests – in which an oil refinery was blockaded earlier this year – a small number of people “became abusive, making it difficult to maintain public order.”

Mr Desmond “involved himself” in the protests and said to a garda trying to police the area: ‘Would you fuck off?’, the court heard.

Gardaí asked him to leave, but Mr Desmond then took out his phone and started recording the garda, court presenter Sergeant Majella O’Sullivan said.

Judge Colm Roberts noted how someone taking out their phone and recording someone can be viewed as a type of assault.

The accused then told the garda ‘fuck you, bitch’, Sgt O’Sullivan said, presenting garda evidence.

Judge Roberts noted that this was both sexist and vulgar language.

Mr Desmond, with an address at 12 The Peatlands, Broomfield, Midleton, was arrested and conveyed to Midleton Garda Station.

But once he left his “audience” at the protest, he was no problem to gardaí, Sgt O’Sullivan said.

Defence solicitor Don Ryan said that Mr Desmond is in his fourth year of an apprenticeship as a pipe fitter.

Judge Roberts asked why he became so actively involved in the protests that he ignored gardaí, was insulting and aggressive and got arrested.

“Maybe people like the energy of the mob,” Judge Roberts said, and asked if the man attended the protests because he thought they were fun.

Nobody likes paying higher fuel prices, Judge Roberts said, but while peaceful protest is fine, violent protest is not.

Mr Ryan said that his client was remorseful following his actions and had saved €500 for the Garda Benevolent Fund.

“He’s 24, he got caught up with this,” Mr Ryan said.

Judge Roberts said that Mr Desmond was still getting a conviction, although he said he would not give him a custodial or suspended sentence.

“We can’t have people in pubic insulting the gardaí and think there are no consequences,” Judge Roberts said.

“People have to stop mouthing off. Everyone has their opinion but most people are not interested in hearing it.”

The more peaceful a protest is, the more powerful it is, Judge Roberts said.

But a lot of people at the Whitegate fuel protests failed to retain their dignity, and became quite aggressive and unpleasant, he added.

“And he was part of that, he was part of the mob. I don’t like mobs,” he said.

Judge Roberts convicted Mr Desmond and fined him €500, giving him two months to pay. 

That fine took into consideration the €500 Mr Desmond had already donated to the Garda Benevolent Fund, he said.

“When you grow up, you have to face the consequences,” he said.