I've nowhere to live but on the streets' man tells court
Refused to leave
A man who breached a barring order by going to the family home told Naas District Court he would return there again because he had nowhere to live but on the streets.
He was prosecuted for breaching the order on March 12 and when charged he said “that’s inaccurate information.”
Sgt PJ O’Brien said the man is homeless and he went to the home of his mother and father after asking if he could have a shower and a change of clothes.
His mother consented to this and when he was asked to leave, he refused.
Sgt O’Brien said there was no violence.
“He wanted to stay and his parents didn’t want it.”
The sergeant said the man has nowhere to go and a treatment centre will not accept him for addiction treatment until he is five weeks clean and sober.
“He wanted me to arrest him,” added the garda.
He also said his parents are “at the end of their tether with him.”
He said this was a cry for help and the defendant is not a very nice guy when under the influence but is otherwise fine.
He said he had been on the streets for a fortnight and when he is at home “things are in chaos.”
He added: “I’ve no doubt if he is out today there will be more breaches.”
The defendant told the court his mother also cooked food for him and she then said it was time to leave.
“I said I can’t go back to the streets, I’m trying to get into a treatment centre, I’m trying to sort myself out. The system is f……” he told the court.
Jusdge Desmond Zaidan applied the Probation act saying “somebody has to try and give him a bed.”
The judge said he was not criticising the people who work in treatment centres tackling addiction but he criticised the five weeks rule saying that after five weeks some people would be almost on the way to recovery.
He said the system has failed addicts time and time again.
He said if he could he would remand the defendant in custody to a treatment centre like can be done in some cases with the Central Mental Hospital.