Drunk man told gardaí that they 'looked like Father Ted and Dougal'

WHEN gardaí tried to wake up a man asleep in nettles in a Clonakilty car park last May, he told them they looked more like Father Ted and Fr Dougal from the comedy show and then told them to ‘f** off’.

Gavin Sexton (47) of Carhue, Timoleague faced two public order charges at Clonakilty District Court. Defence solicitor Colette McCarthy indicated that her client wanted to contest the charges, but the case went ahead in his absence.

Gda Martin O’Regan of Clonakilty Garda Station told Judge James McNulty that he was on patrol with Gda Mark Curtis on May 29th last when they received a call at 7.35pm about a male asleep in Deasy’s car park on Lambe Street.

‘He was asleep in a cluster of nettles and his back was badly sunburned as his shirt was pulled up. He was in a very dishevelled state and I tried to wake him. There was a strong smell of alcohol coming from him,’ said Gda O’Regan.

‘I tried to wake him a second time but he responded by saying “f**k you, you’re not gardaí, you’re more like Fr Ted and Dougal.”

‘He was highly drunk and unable to stand.’

Mr Sexton then called them two ‘stupid c****’ and said ‘can’t a man not be harassed by two stupid muppets?’

‘I asked him for his details and he refused to give them to us. We eventually got his details from documents in his wallet.’ Gda O’Regan said the defendant did come and apologise to them later at Clonakilty Garda Station.

Gda Mark Curtis said they found the defendant asleep with a number of unopened cans of Guinness.

‘Gda O’Regan tried to wake him a few times and he replied “Don’t touch me or I’ll kill ye, ye are more like Fr Ted and Fr Dougal and f** off”,’ said Gda Curtis.

Ms McCarthy said her client was probably alarmed when the two gardaí approached him as there was no garda van present. ‘He said he was out with his nephew and they waited for a taxi which didn’t come. He hadn’t slept in four days and got severely sunburnt and the two gardaí were wearing different uniforms,’ said Ms McCarthy.

‘There was an element of paranoia, too, and he thought they were leading him away,’ she added.

The court heard he has 11 previous convictions and received a 60-day suspended sentence on April 12th last and was bound to the peace for two years for assault, criminal damage and public order.

‘He was lying in nettles intoxicated and sunburned.

‘He should have been gracious to accompany the gardaí,’ said Judge McNulty, who convicted and fined him €500 on the more serious public order charge of using or engaging in threatening, abusive or insulting words or behaviour.

He took into consideration the drunk in a public place charge and said gardaí can apply to get Mr Sexton’s suspended sentence activated.