Kilkenny man sentenced to four months for public order offences

A multiple offender who pleaded guilty to driving while under the influence of drugs and to engaging in threatening abusive and insulting behaviour was sentenced to four months in prison.

Ken Kennedy, Good Shepherd Centre, Church Lane, Kilkenny was also handed down a four month suspended sentence and disqualified from driving in relation to the drug driving offence which took place at Ballymack Cross, Ballymack, Co Kilkenny on October 15, 2020.

The court heard that on the date in question gardaí were operating an Operation Fanacht checkpoint on the Callan Road when a car approached the checkpoint. The vehicle was stopped by the gardaí and the driver, Ken Kennedy was known to the gardaí.

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The car was searched and a quantity of tablets were found and the defendant was arrested for drug driving. He subsequently provided a sample to gardaí which showed the presence of diazepam in his blood.

The court also heard that at 7.45pm on October 16, 2021 members of the public were concerned over a man who had passed out at John’s Green in Kilkenny. The defendant was asleep on the street with a bottle of vodka beside him. The defendant was arrested for his own safety.

On March 16, 2022 at 9.45pm at the Good Shepherd Centre in Kilkenny gardaí received a report of a man in an intoxicated state. Gardaí attended and met the defendant who was in ‘an intoxicated and abusive’ state. The defendant said to gardaí that; ‘she needs a good beating’ and to ‘f*ck off you c*nt’.

The court also heard that on May 27, 2022 at 11.45 at St Francis’ Bridge in Kilkenny gardaí observed the defendant stagger and fall and that cars were travelling on the road at the time. Gardaí had to call for assistance and the defendant became very aggressive and called one of the gardaí present ‘a c*nt and a wh*re’.

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Evidence was also heard in relation to an incident on January 16, 2022 at 4pm at John’s Green when gardaí received a report of an intoxicated male and gardaí observed the defendant who was unsteady on his feet and was aggressive with gardaí.

Judge Geraldine Carthy convicted the defendant and imposed a four month suspended sentence in relation to the drug driving. She also imposed a four-year disqualification ban.

Judge Carthy also imposed a two month prison sentence for the public order offence at the Good Shepherd Grounds on March 3, 2022 and a two-month prison sentence for the public order offence at St Francis’ Bridge on May 27, 2022 and ordered that the sentences run consecutively. The intoxication charges were taken into consideration.