Galway Advertiser 2002/2002_12_05/GA_05122002_E1_036.pdf 

Extracted text

C In the courts
Oranmore woman kicked Spiddal m a n taxidriver in bid to avoid used tweezers to fare, court told Court told steal coins f r o m Hillside pair had phone boxes total of 84
A y o u n g w o m a n w h o r a n w i t h o u t p a y i n g a t a x i fare a n d k i c k e d t h e taxi d r i v e r w h e n h e m a n a g e d t o catch u p with her, w a s convicted of assault, at G a l w a y District C o u r t . A 60-years-old Spiddal m a n w h o used a tweezers t o e x t r a c t 5 5 0 w o r t h of coins from p h o n e b o x e s in t h e c i t y c e n t r e o v e r a t h r e e - m o n t h p e r i o d w a s g i v e n a s u s p e n d e d sentence and fined 2 0 0 , when he appeared before G a l w a y District C o u r t t h i s w e e k . Bartley Folan, from B a l l y d o n n e l l a n . S p i d d a l , p l e a d e d guilty to s t e a l i n g 5 5 0 worth of coins from p h o n e boxes in S h o p Street a n d Eyre S q u a r e o n v a r i o u s d a l e s between May I and August 3 last. Detective Gerry Glynn said he and another detective saw Folan "visiting" a number of kiosks a n d " t i n k e r i n g " with them. W h e n they approached him he dropped a tweezers on the ground. He later admitted coming to the city regularly to take money from kiosks. D e t e c t i v e G l y n n e x p l a i n e d that o t h e r people blocked the coin slots in the kiosks with tissue paper and came back a few days later to collect coins which got stuck in the slot. H e said the accused did not u s e the tissue paper but he knew it was happening and benefited from other people doing it. J u d g e John G a r a v a n said t h e t a k i n g s would be quite small on each visit, but over time the m o n e y had a c c u m u l a t e d and the accused had worked deftly. "Have tweezers, will travel," the judge quipped. Defending solicitor, M s . Donoghue, said her c l i e n t h a d r e p a i d the full a m o u n t t o Eircom and was very sorry and embarrassed for what he did. A reference from his parish priest was handed into the court. Judge Garavan said it was a petty crime but he could not let the accused off lightly because if he did others would be tempted to do it as well. "I have to make an example of him so that the message goes out that people caught for petty thievery will be punished. T h e s e a r e public utilities a n d h a v e t o b e protected, o t h e r w i s e they c o u l d be withdrawn from public service," the j u d g e said. He then sentenced Folan to four months in prison, suspended for two years, and fined him 2 0 0 . Recognisance was fixed in the event of an appeal. C a r o l L a n g a n , II C l o o n a r k i n Drive, Oranmore, got a taxi with a girlfriend from Eyre Square to Oranmore on June 15 last. They did not have enough money to pay the fare and got out and ran when the taxi was stopped in traffic at the village. T h e driver, G e r a r d Kelly, ran after the girls a n d c a u g h t o n e of t h e m . T h e o t h e r returned and they both struck out and kicked him. The other girl had been dealt with at an earlier court sitting. Sergeant John G o r m a l l y , said the girls went into a nearby pub after assaulting the taxi driver. Langan. he said, was intoxicated and only calmed down when her father arrived at the scene. Judge John Garavan remarked that it was a sad day for Langan's father to have to do that. He fined her 5 0 for assault and ordered her to pay 2 0 0 compensation to the taxi driver. He then fined h e r 100 for being drunk and a danger to herself and others in public.

previous convictions
"Now that w i n t e r ' s here, can spring b e far b e h i n d ? " Judge John Garavan borrowed the phrase at Galway District Court w h e n t h e n a m e s of t w o friends w h o have a total of 84 p r e v i o u s convictions between t h e m , were called out in court this week. T h o m a s Mongan and T h o m a s M c C a r t h y , both from 12 Hillside. Ballybane, Galway, were charged with b e i n g d r u n k in p u b l i c on N o v e m b e r 2 8 last at Coolagh. Galway. G a r d a M i c h a e l Guerin said he received a call from a member of the public that a car with three people in it had crashed at Coolagh and he went to investigate. He came across Mongan. M c C a r t h y a n d a third person j u s t down the road from the crashed car. They were very drunk and seemed to be lost. He arrested them for their own safety. Judge Garavan posed the rhetorical q u e s t i o n above and then paraphrased, "When T o m Mongan is in court, can Thomas McCarthy b e far behind?." He was told Mongan had 44 p r e v i o u s c o n v i c t i o n s and McCarthy had 40. Fines of 125 were imposed on both men who were not in court.

Woman who collided with two motorcycles fined
A w o m a n w h o d r o v e o u t o f a " w i c k e d " j u n c t i o n a n d collided with t w o o n c o m i n g motorcycles, w a s convicted of driving without reasonable consideration for other road users, at Galway District Court. Annette C o n n o l l y , 2 O a k l e y C r e s c e n t , Highficld Park, Galway, was attempting to drive out from the Westside S h o p p i n g Centre junction onto Seamus Quirke Road, on May 13 last. She w a s halfway across the road when t w o m o t o r c y c l e s w h o w e r e on t h e m a i n road, collided with the side of her car. Defending solicitor. Padraig Harris, said it was a very busy junction and his client misjudged the distance between her and the bikes. Judge John Garavan agreed that it was a particularly wicked junction and he said he had sympathy with the woman. However, he said, the onus was on her to b e sure before pulling out of the junction, before finine her 8 0 .

Russian who stuffed sock in garda's mouth jailed for six months
A R u s s i a n refugee w a s sentenced t o six m o n t h s in p r i s o n at G a l w a y D i s t r i c t C o u r t t h i s w e e k f o r s t u f f i n g a bloodstained sock into a G a r d a ' s m o u t h . Sentencing the 32-years-old m a n . J u d g e John Garavan said it had been a contemptible and dastardly act against a garda. The judge recommended the accused be deported at the earliest opportunity and receive the appropriate medical and psychiatric treatment while in prison. Vadim O r l o v s k i j . w i t h a f o r m e r a d d r e s s at D r i s h a n e Castle, Millstreet, C o Cork, was arrested by Garda Michael Collins at Centra supermarket, Forster Street, Galway, on N o v e m b e r 15 last and charged with stealing 6 worth of groceries. Garda Collins said the accused stripped to his underpants while in a cell at the Garda Station, sat on the floor and started to pick at a wound on his arm. It began to bleed heavily and the floor was soon covered in blood.. T w o other gardai entered the cell and had to restrain Orlovskij while his wound was bandaged. A doctor was called and he said the wound was bandaged properly. Orlovskij was then charged, given bail.and told he could g o . He started to dress himself. Garda Collins said he noticed socks on the floor and, in an effort to help the accused, he p i c k e d t h e m u p a n d p l a c e d t h e m on a t a b l e n e a r h i m . Orlovskij suddenly grabbed one of the socks and stuffed it in the Garda's mouth. Orlovskij told the court through an interpreter that he was treated in an undignified m a n n e r w h i l e in c u s t o d y . H e denied stuffing the sock into the garda's mouth, claiming he had just pushed it in his face "as a gesture". He claimed that while he w a s b e i n g restrained on t h e floor of the cell the socks had been kicked towards his face. "The sock went in as far as my teeth and 1 nearly lost by cool," Garda Collins said. Valerie Corcoran, defending solicitor, said her client had been asked to leave a hostel some weeks ago after suffering a nervous breakdown and he had nowhere to g o . She said he had not received any money since leaving the hostel and he h a d to resort to stealing food to survive. He pleaded guilty in court to a second charge of stealing 8 worth of g r o c e r i e s o n N o v e m b e r 19 last at M a c e s u p e r m a r k e t , Newcastle, Galway. Judge John Garavan said Orlovskij's allegations that he had been treated badly by the gardai was outrageous and unacceptable to the court. He said the accused could have bled to death if they had not bandaged his wound. He said Orlovskij had behaved in an undignified manner by taking his clothes off, sitting on the ground and picking at his wound.

M A Four Star Pizza
585444
OPEN FROM 12 MOON 7 DAYS A WEEK

U i i l i t i i i w t t l i l i l 5T55 Thief W$$]^8 $f C e i a l
NEW CHILLI 3 TOPPINGS CHICKEN SAUCE DIPPER'S, PLUS 16" BBQ PIZZA OR WITH 19.95

+ BOTTLE OF COKEE OFFER EXPIRES DECEMBER 30TH

SSSu^^r5555555555!