New father jailed for 10 months after fleeing hotel without paying €1,000 bill

Noel Baker

A man who became a father for the first time earlier this month has received a 10-month jail sentence after racking up a €1,000 bill at one of the country’s most popular hotels and then leaving without paying.

Brian Hammond, 30, of Coolmoohan, Kilworth in Co Cork, pleaded guilty at Clonakilty District Court to the charge relating to leaving Inchydoney Lodge and Spa without paying his bill for his two-night stay, and he also pleaded guilty to a separate charge of leaving a Texaco filling station in Clonakilty without paying for €40 worth of fuel.

The first charge dated back to June 27th last year while the charge of taking the fuel related to June 30th last year.

Garda Alan Crowley told Judge James McNulty that Mr Hammond had been brought before the court in Clonakilty after he had previously been before Dungarvan District Court on separate matters. Judge McNulty remarked that Mr Hammond had appeared before the court in May and had said at that time that he would make restitution to the hotel, which was to be confirmed at a subsequent court appearance on June 4th.

However, on that date Mr Hammond failed to turn up.

The court heard that Mr Hammond had 20 previous convictions, including 10 for theft. His solicitor, Plunkett Taaffe, said notification sent to Mr Hammond by his office had gone to a wrong address regarding the June court date, but Judge McNulty said he had been very clear in May with Mr Hammond about his requirement to appear in court, adding: “He knew what was happening and where he was supposed to be.”

Mr Taaffe said Mr Hammond’s wife had given birth to the couple’s first child on September 8th last and that his client had run into trouble in the past due to issues with drink and drugs.

Mr Taaffe said Mr Hammond was now working as a painter-decorator and has not been in any trouble since his release last autumn from a short prison sentence.

Judge McNulty described the theft at Inchydoney as “mean and low” and “reprehensible”.

He sentenced Hammond to 10 months in prison, while on the fuel theft he handed down a conditional discharge for one year and on the condition that Mr Hammond abstain from drink and drug use and provide a saliva sample to gardaí on request and provide random urine analysis to the Probation Service, as required.

Recognisance for an appeal was set on Mr Hammond’s own bond of €100, no cash required.