Laois man gets three months in prison

A man received a three month prison sentence on a public order matter at Portlaoise District Court last week.  

PJ O’Shea, 39, of 20 O’Moore Place, Portlaoise was charged with failing to comply with a Garda direction and engaging in threatening, abusive or insulting words or behaviour at Lyster Square, Portlaoise on February 12 this year. 

Sgt JJ Kirby told the court that on that date Mr O’Shea was outside the post office at 9am and was begging aggressively. 

He was asked to move on by the gardaí. When they came back he told them to ‘f*** off’ and ‘f*** off you foreign b******’ to Garda Solinski, a Polish garda. 

The court heard he was on bail at the time. 

Sgt Kirby said he was well known to the court. 

Appearing for Mr O’Shea, solicitor Philip Meagher said he was a single man who was well known to the court 

He had many years of difficulty with drug addiction. He normally lived with his mother and siblings. Mr Meagher said that things for him go well for a number of months but then he falls off and  he gets back into bad company and matters spiral from there. 

He then presents in a dishevelled and pathetic state and lives rough.

This happened recently. He looks for money because his social welfare is cancelled. He begs to buy food and by his own admission drugs. 

Mr Meagher said that Mr O’Shea had told him he wants to get help. Mr Meagher suggested a custodial sentence with help later to get treatment. He said that unless Mr O’Shea’s addiction was dealt with the same spiral would occur again. 

He added that when Mr O’Shea gets out of prison he is a different man. 

The court heard he was on remand for other matters. 

Judge John King noted that he had plenty of time to address his issues. 

He sentenced him to three months.