A KINSALE man who had no way home from Bandon after being released from the garda station at 4am ended up sleeping in cars parked in a garage forecourt, causing over €6,000 worth of damage to two unlocked vehicles.

James O’Donovan (48), of 71 Eltins Wood, Kinsale pleaded guilty at Bandon District Court to criminal damage, having no driving licence or insurance and getting into a car without the owner’s permission.

Sgt Eimear O’Connell told Judge Joanne Carroll that at 10am on September 23rd a member of staff from the Kevin O’Leary motor group in Bandon contacted gardaí after he found a male asleep in one of the cars on the forecourt.

‘Damage was caused to a Mazda 2 car and to a car next to it while an Audi A6 was also entered to. The accused was woken up by gardaí,’ said Sgt O’Connell.

‘Mr O’Donovan told gardaí that he spent the night asleep in the Mazda 2 car and admitted to driving it around the forecourt of the garage.’

Mr O’Donovan admitted causing damage to two cars, estimated at €6,170, and that he had no driving licence or insurance. He has one previous conviction for road traffic offences.

Defence solicitor Clodagh O’Gorman said her client had been arrested in Bandon earlier that day for a public order offence.

‘He was released at 4am from Bandon Garda Station. His mobile phone was dead and he had no way home and was stuck in Bandon,’ she said. ‘He went to the garage to warm up, got into the cars and started two of them.’

She added that her client, a father-of-two, is attending AA and lives with his parents, and had no compensation to offer in court. Judge Carroll directed the preparation of a probation report, adding that the garage must be reimbursed and that Mr O’Donovan needs to continue with his alcohol treatment.

‘You must focus on your recovery and stay off alcohol and you must also identify the amount due to the garage minus the labour costs,’ said Judge Carroll who adjourned the case to February 20th 2026.