A man who was handed down a suspended sentence for a number of public order offences has been warned he will go to jail if he commits further offending.

Patrick James John McDonagh (35), of Sallys Wood, Irvinestown was convicted of disorderly behaviour (2), breach of a restraining order and criminal damage in relation to three different incidents.

On July 15, 2019, at around 3am police received a report from a Chinese restaurant in Irvinestown of a broken window. The owner had heard the sound a glass smashing and when he went to check on what happened he discovered a man, who he recognised as a customer but did not know, hiding under a table. He asked him to leave, but the man refused and said he wanted a drink.

The man, was later detected walking, identified as McDonagh and was arrested.

McDonagh at first said it he did not break the window before admitting to it.

On July 22, 2021, police received a report at Mahon’s Hotel, Irvinestown of McDonagh trying to enter the premises. On arrival police saw a man staggering on Main Street who tried to enter another premises but was put out.

Obstructed traffic
McDonagh was asked to go home but instead went into the middle of the road and obstructed traffic.

He was again asked to go home before placing his hands on a woman’s shoulders, tried to open car doors and told police to “f**k off” and “get out of town” before being arrested for breach of a restraining order.

Then on October 22, 2021 McDonagh was on Main Street, Irvinestown shouting at the public and he also told police “f**k you, I’ll lay you out”.

Ciaran Roddy, McDonagh’s barrister, told the court there was a “common theme” through all these incidents and that was the consumption of alcohol but this was something McDonagh was addressing through the community addiction team.

He said his client had spent seven or eight weeks on remand and asked the court to take this into account when sentencing and given the nature of the pre-sentence report there were a number of sentencing options including a probation order.

However, District Judge Steven Keown questioned McDonagh’s appetite for engaging with probation.

Mr. Roddy said this was down to the difficulty of McDonagh being placed on bail and then going into custody so frequently.

Judge Keown said the easiest thing would be to send him to jail but did not want his work with community addiction to stop. In handing down a four month sentence suspended for two years he warned McDonagh that if he relapsed, the suspended sentences would come crashing down on him.

McDonagh was also ordered to pay £90 for the damage to the window.