A MAN caught on CCTV holding a hatchet outside a petrol station in Limerick has been sentenced to three months in jail.
James Casey (24) of Toppins Field, was charged with violent disorder following an incident outside Circle K petrol station on the Ballysimon Road in July 2021.
No assault occurred, no injuries were caused, and nobody was struck with a weapon, Sergeant Denis Waters told Limerick District Court, adding that all other parties involved received non-custodial sentences.
The three-month sentence was backdated to when Mr Casey first entered custody in January.
Mr Casey has 25 previous convictions, including dangerous driving, driving without insurance, driving on a provisional licence without an accompanied driver, driving without a seatbelt, tax, or NCT, and breaches of Covid-19 regulations.
He also appeared before the court on charges of dangerous driving and driving unaccompanied on a provisional licence.
Gardaà observed Mr Casey driving a Volkswagen Golf in John Carew Park, failing to yield at a roundabout before entering the M7 motorway at high speed.
“He was putting other road users at risk, swerving between vehicles and overtaking,” Sergeant Waters said, adding that Casey overtook vehicles on the motorway hard shoulder.
Gardaà did not pursue him due to the danger posed by his driving.
Later that day, he was seen driving at high speed in Inch St Lawrence, Caherconlish, almost forcing a Garda car into a ditch when officers attempted to stop him.
In November 2020, Gardaà observed Mr Casey driving a Volkswagen Passat on Childers Road at an excessive speed. Sergeant Waters said he overtook a vehicle on a continuous white line, drove through a pedestrian crossing and continued towards Roxboro Roundabout without stopping at junctions.
The incident occurred around 10.15pm in wet and dark conditions. Mr Casey later said he did not see the Garda lights indicating him to stop.
In April 2021, Gardaà saw him travelling at speed in Lilac Court, turning a corner and driving on the wrong side of the road. He was later stopped and arrested. In July 2021, he was again stopped for driving unaccompanied on a provisional licence without displaying L plates.
Defence solicitor Tom Kiely said the offences dated back to when Mr Casey had just turned 18. Referring to the violent disorder charge, he said his client was seen “gesturing the weapon and posturing” but never used it.
“No assault took place, no injuries obtained and no complaint was made.”
Mr Kiely said Mr Casey accepted there was “no excuse for his driving on any occasion and apologises for what it’s worth”.
“He didn’t have the maturity at the time to be driving,” he added.
The court heard that, after moving to the UK, Casey settled down, married, and became a father of two. Since returning to Ireland around two years ago, he had not come to Garda attention and was arrested in January on bench warrants relating to the historic offences.
Mr Kiely said his client accepted that his actions had “caught up” with him and that he now had to face the consequences. Mr Casey hopes to establish a landscaping business and any driving disqualification would negatively affect those plans. He had previously been disqualified from driving for six months for a separate offence.
Mr Kiely asked Judge Catherine Ryan to be as lenient as possible.
Judge Ryan described the matters before the court as “quite serious charges” but said Mr Casey’s guilty plea to violent disorder was of significant assistance. She also considered a photograph entered in evidence showing him with a hatchet.
Mr Casey was sentenced to three months’ imprisonment, backdated to January. For the dangerous driving offences, Judge Ryan imposed a four-month prison sentence and a four-year driving disqualification. The prison term was suspended on condition that he does not drive for the next two years, in addition to the disqualification. He was also fined €500 for driving unaccompanied on a provisional licence.
“If he is caught driving a car during this time or while he is disqualified, he may be brought back to court with new charges,” she said.
– Court Reporting Scheme