A 61-year-old man who had an improvised spear was fined at a recent sitting of Ballaghaderreen District Court.
Kieran Gorman, with an address at 34 Glean Ard Estate, Ballaghaderreen, pleaded guilty to the possession, on September 5th, 2025 at the estate, of the one metre long makeshift spear. He also pleaded guilty before Judge Deirdre Gearty to using threatening, abusive, or insulting words or behaviour on the same date and location.
The court heard that the pole had been found on the ground and that an eight inch kitchen knife had been affixed to the top of it.
Sergeant Enda Daly said that at 7.55 p.m. gardaí had received a report about a man sitting on a wall with a spear.
When gardaí arrived, the accused appeared to be drunk but was not brandishing the implement, the court heard.
His solicitor Mary Frances Fahy said her client lived in a “rough estate” and that he was being terrorised and harassed. “He was in fear,” she said. She also handed in a letter from neighbours saying that Mr Gorman was a good neighbour.
Addressing the court, the accused said he had “seized” a derelict house in the estate.
Judge Gearty handed down a fine of €200 and took the public order offence into consideration.
