Free bar led to man’s downfall, court told

Access to a free bar during the Arts Festival led to a man’s appearance in court.

Brian Hayden (38), Baranna, Annaghdown, pleaded guilty at the holiday sittings of Galway District Court to breaching the peace, by engaging in threatening, abusive or insulting words or behaviour at Eyre Square on July 13 last.

Two other charges of damaging the front panel of a Bus Eireann bus at Eyre Square and being drunk in public on the same occasion were withdrawn by the State.

Inspector Mick Dwyer said Gardai received a complaint at 11.10pm of a man causing a disturbance in Eyre Square and they found Hayden in a highly intoxicated state.  He was unable to stand and they had difficulty putting him into the Garda van.

A bus driver had refused him admittance to a bus beforehand and he had banged on the window and front panel of the bus.

Insp Dwyer said Hayden had 12 previous convictions for public order offences, cultivation of cannabis, robbery, possession of a firearm, burglaries, and handling stolen goods.  All of the previous occurred between 1995 and 2012, he added.

Defence solicitor, Olivia Traynor said Hayden’s previous convictions went back 20 years to when he was a teenager and he had served prison terms for some of them.

Then there was a period during the ‘noughties’ , she said, when he didn’t come to Garda attention as he spent a long time sober and was clean of illicit substances during that time.

She said he then relapsed with alcohol and was back before the court because of that.

Ms Traynor said her client was now re-engaging with the mental health services and had since got a job as a result of returning to education and completing a course.

A letter from Hayden’s employer was handed into court and he had recently been promoted, Ms Traynor intimated.

She said Hayden should never drink as he seemed to get into trouble any time he did in the past.

She explained he had been out on the night of this offence with his brother.

“It was during the Arts Festival and they ended up in a venue where there was a free bar and my client drank vodka,” she said.

He had no recollection of his subsequent behaviour but had since apologised to Bus Eireann and his apology had been accepted.

Mr Traynor asked Judge Marie Keane to give her client a chance as he was now attending AA and was making every effort to rehabilitate.

Judge Keane said Hayden clearly had addiction issues that needed to be addressed.

She directed the preparation of a probation report prior to sentence in October.

“I’m giving you an opportunity to get things together.  You clearly have mental health issues and alcohol issues and you need to address both.

“You have a good work record but your behaviour when you drink is appalling,” Judge Keane advised him.