THE WIFE of a 22-year-old man, who brought his passport to a Garda station to identify himself after refusing to give his proper details, is a “strong stabilising influence” on her husband, a court heard.
Tagdh Byrnes (22), of 4 Toppings Field, Limerick, previously pleaded guilty at Newcastle West District Court to a charge of possession of €3,632 worth of cannabis for the purpose of sale or supply on December 17, 2021.
The charge had still to be dealt with when he was brought back before the courts on fresh charges of theft, burglary, criminal damage, and public order offences.
He also pleaded guilty to the fresh charges.
The court heard the accused man was captured on CCTV damaging a car at a car park in Killine in Newcastle West on January 5, 2024. He had paid the owner of the car €420 in damages, his solicitor said.
On the same night, Mr Byrnes was found by Gardaà in an intoxicated state “shouting and roaring. He refused to give Gardaà his name and shouted at one member ‘I hope to see you die of cancer you ginger c***’,” the court heard.
He also pleaded guilty to burglary of a house in Woodford Manor in April 2024 and taking a TV worth €1,200, which was later recovered, and to theft of €15 worth of goods from a Spar store.
The charge which landed him in the Garda station refusing to give a blood or urine sample and giving false names arose out of an incident involving an encounter with a Garda patrol car.
Gardaà had reports of a car driving erratically on O’Connell Street on May 18, 2025. When they reached O’Connell Street, the court heard, a car driven by Mr Byrnes came from behind the patrol car, flashed its headlights, and overtook the patrol, cutting in front of it. Mr Byrnes was arrested when the car crashed into a steel bollard.
Having refused to give a urine or blood sample or his real name and address, Gardaà had to wait until his wife arrived at the station with his passport, the court heard.
Mr Byrnes’ solicitor said the young man had gone to the UK after admitting to the cannabis charges.
“He got married there and now has three children, aged three and two years and one month old,” solicitor Tom Kiely said.
“He has somewhat settled down now … His wife is a lady who knows the right thing to do. She brought his passport to the Garda station. She is a good and stablilising influence on him.”
The court heard Mr Byrnes had 21 previous convictions and was banned from driving at the time of the recent driving offence.
Noting that he was a father and a young man “who will hopefully settle down and put this all behind him”, the judge sentenced Mr Byrnes to four months in jail on the drugs charge and two months for stealing the TV.
She also further disqualified him from driving for a total of six years and fined him €850 for the driving offences.