A MANIC patient desperate for medication and help was held down by four security guards at University Hospital Limerick (UHL) as he lashed out, biting one on the arm, punching another, and spitting in the face of a third.
Limerick District Court heard that, just a short time before that, at 6am on December 11 last, Killian Kirby (35), of Kilcaragh, Linaw, County Kerry, went to a Maxol station beside the hospital and, when his phone didn’t work to pay for goods, became aggressive, smacking a mobile phone out of the owner’s hand and cutting him, then head-butting a member of staff before leaving with two unpaid for bottles of energy drink.
The accused man pleaded guilt to all of the charges before Judge Catherine Ryan.
Judge Ryan heard that Mr Kirby went to the Maxol station to buy some items but when his phone wouldn’t scan to pay for them, he became agitated.
The owner asked him to leave and when he continued to shout abuse, rang the GardaÃ. Mr Kirby lashed out, knocking the phone to the ground and causing a scrape to the owner’s hand.
A staff member attempted to jump in to protect the owner and Mr Kirby head-butted him, knocking him backwards.
After leaving with two bottles of Monster energy drink, Mr Kirby went to the reception desk in UHL.
The court heard evidence that he was at reception “demanding medication and demanding to be taken into 5B (the psychiatric unit of the hospital)”.
Matters escalated and a security came over to try to calm Mr Kirby down, the court heard, but Mr Kirby lashed out at him, hitting him and resulting in more security people getting involved.
Mr Kirby bit one of them on the arm and spit in another’s face.
His solicitor, Tom Kiely, said his client is “a very unwell man. He is normally heavily medicated.”
Mr Kiely explained that Mr Kirby had been brought from Tralee by ambulance the previous day, but was not admitted to UHL.
He checked in as a guest in a hotel for the night, but suffered an episode and again had to be taken by ambulance to the hospital.
“He went to the Maxol to get supplies. It can be seen from the CCTV that he was trying to scan his phone to pay. When that didn’t happen, he was asking other customers if he could Revolut them money to pay for the goods.”
Mr Kiely said that without his medication, Mr Kirby became frustrated at the issue of payment and things escalated.
“He offers his sincere apologies. He didn’t present or come across very well in the circumstances. He was actively asking for help and medication.”
In custody since that date in December, Mr Kirby has been treated with medication and is seeing a psychiatrist, his solicitor said.
A successful machine operator who has worked all over Europe when his condition is properly treated, Mr Kirby handed in a letter from his former employers saying there is a job for him when he gets out of jail.
Judge Ryan said she was taking into account the guilty plea and the circumstances, but “there were no doubt people in the area in the hospital already stressed and worried about checking in for procedures and this behaviour added to their stress and fear”.
She sentenced Mr Kirby to a total of 15 months in jail, of which he will serve two terms of three months, the other three sentences of three months each to run concurrent to these.
– Court Reporting Scheme