Grandfather spared jail for verbal abuse of gardaí during Coolock protest

Tom Tuite

A grandfather was “at the wrong place at the wrong time” when he started hurling abuse at gardaí policing a protest near the former Crown Paints site in Dublin, a court heard.

Christopher Kirwan (56), of Liberty House, Dublin 1, was fined €500 after pleading guilty to breach of the peace and failing to leave the vicinity when cautioned at Malahide Road on July 15th.

There has been unrest in the area since the Government announced plans to use the disused factory to accommodate hundreds of international protection applicants.

Judge Michael Ramsey heard at Dublin District Court that the father-of-four told gardaí on duty at the protest: “I’d love it for some knock off you lot”.

He failed to follow a garda direction to move on, responding with “f**k off” and became “more abusive” before being arrested and charged.

The judge heard Kirwan had eight prior convictions, including one from the Circuit Court for an endangerment offence and other District Court convictions for public order and road traffic violations.

Defence solicitor Daniel Hanahoe pleaded for leniency, telling the judge his client was not a part of the protest but “just happened to be there, at the wrong place at the wrong time” and that he had been trying to go home.

The solicitor said Kirwan got involved after he saw an altercation between gardaí and a member of the public, which he did not like.

The court heard he was on disability benefits due to a heart problem. Judge Ramsey recorded a conviction for the two Public Order Act charges but spared him jail and ordered him to pay the fine within three months.