Man called gardai as wife wouldn't go to bed, Dundalk court heard
A 49 year old man had called gardai to his home in the early hours of the morning because his partner was lying on the sofa and would not go to bed, Dundalk District Court heard last week.
Rodger Hunt with an address at Dundoogan, Clermont Road, Heynestown was prosecuted for being intoxicated in a public place and using threatening, abusive or insulting behaviour at Dundoogan on September 8th 2020.
The Blackrock-based Garda told the court he had been called to the couple’s home at 3.20am and the defendant told him he wanted his wife, who was lying on the sofa, to go to bed.
He said he told Mr. Hunt that it was not a matter for An Garda Siochana and as he left, the defendant followed him to the patrol car.
The garda explained the defendant was intoxicated and was talking extremely loudly for that time of the morning in a residential area and he directed him to leave and told him if he failed to do so he would be arrested.
During cross examination by the Defence barrister, the garda agreed his client is well known to him, saying both he and his partner are regular callers.
He denied telling him he had wanted to speak to him outside the house, and rejected a suggestion that he had told the garda that his partner was hitting him.
The garda said Mr. Hunt had wanted her to go to bed. The defendant under oath denied being intoxicated and being a danger to himself and others.
Judge Eirinn McKiernan in convicting him, told him the garda “can’t sort out your domestic problems for you”.
After hearing Mr. Hunt had 40 previous convictions, she imposed a €105 fine.