Cork man, 24, swore by picture of dead grandmother that he would kill parents, court hears
A young man picked up a framed picture of his dead grandmother from the mantelpiece of the family home and swore by it that he would kill both of his parents.
That was the allegation made by the mother of the 24-year-old who denied putting his parents in fear in breach of a protection order at Cork District Court.
He was jailed for a total of 20 months by Judge Olann Kelleher who said he totally accepted the evidence of the parents.
The young man denied breaching the domestic order and claimed that it was his mother and father who started all the arguments with him.
Gardaí responded to a call about a domestic disturbance and found a woman holding a hurley and telling them she feared for her life because of the actions of her adult son.
The woman testified at Cork District Court that her son and his girlfriend were drinking and playing loud music and arguing with each other in the course of four days in her home and she told them they would have to leave.
She said he followed her into the sitting room.
“He started shouting abuse at myself and my husband. He picked up a snap of my mother in law who is dead. He swore on her snap that he would kill us stone dead,” she said.
She said her son shouted that all she did was phone a particular garda and that she was a rat for doing so and that he would kill the guard as well.
Garda Seán Murphy said that as he approached the house in response to a call he heard the accused shouting, “I am going to kill you, I am going to kill you.”
When Garda Murphy saw him, “his eyes were popping out of his head. He was in a very intoxicated state. He was punching the wall.”
Garda Linda O’Keeffe said the defendant was highly intoxicated and out of control and screaming that he was going to kill his parents. Garda O’Keeffe said the defendant’s mother was in tears at the scene.
The accused was asked by defence solicitor, Diarmuid Kelleher, about allegations that he threatened to kill his parents. The defendant replied, “I don’t recall threatening to kill them at all.” “Have you any intention of killing them?” Mr Kelleher asked.
He replied, “No, no, especially my mother, I love her to bits. I have no intention of hurting my mother or my father. These arguments blow up out of nowhere. I don’t think she should be able to pick up the phone and get me sent back to jail whenever she wants to.”
Inspector Denis Lynch said to the accused, “You are a young strapping man and she is in fear.” The defendant said of his mother, “She came through the door like a bullock. That woman has no fear. And my father is no angel. There is no fear in the man. That is why I am pleading not guilty.”
Judge Olann Kelleher convicted the accused on both counts of the accused breaching the orders by putting his parents in fear during two incidents in December and imposed two consecutive ten-month sentences.
Judge Kelleher said, “This is a very sad case. He does not seem to have improved in his attitude. He frightened the life out of his parents. It is very serious.”
