'I never thought I would say going to jail was a good thing', Cork mother says of son who breached barring order
For Months Was Five Jailed Accused
A 27-year-old Cork man who put his mother in fear by breaching a barring order only nine minutes after it was served on him has been jailed for five months.
The victim said she loved her son but hated his behaviour. She added in the course of an in-camera hearing at Cork District Court that her son was a hero to his younger siblings and they did not need to see him behaving in this way while under the influence of drugs.
Imposing the five-month jail term on the young man, Judge Mary Dorgan told him he was at a crossroads in his life and he needed to make the right choices from now on.
“If you are serious about dealing with your addiction you should take all the help you need. You have done nothing about your drugs and your mental health issues,” Judge Dorgan said.
The young man said he had failed to cooperate with the probation service previously because he did not accept at the time he had a problem. Now, he does recognise his difficulties and is determined to address them, he said.
The defendant’s mother said at an earlier hearing, “I would love for him to get the help that he needs. That was not my son. [Following a traumatic experience], he came back broken. He needs help. I would love for him to be able to be free of his addiction and his depression… He could [get employment] and live his best life.
“My hope is that he can look back and say he came through and came out the other side… I never thought I would say going to jail was a good thing.”
Defence solicitor Frank Buttimer said the accused pleaded guilty to putting his mother in fear by breaching the barring order.
Garda Darragh Dineen testified he received a call at lunchtime on the day from the complainant to say her son was outside the house with a ladder, putting it up to various windows in the house, and putting her in fear.
Garda Dineen explained he served the order on the accused at the house and he agreed to leave peacefully and said he would not return but he returned and breached the order nine minutes later.
“He made his way to the rear of the property, banged on the window and called his mother names. He smashed the ladder against the back window,” Garda Dineen said.