Longford woman who broke two windows spared conviction
The woman was spare by the judge after she took the law into her own hands after her car was broken into
A judge has spared a county Longford woman, who took the law into her own hands when her car was burned out, a criminal conviction and has given her an 'opportunity'.
Sinead Flemming of Kilbride Park, Edgeworthstown pleaded guilty at Longford District Court to three offences.
The 34 year-old appeared on charges of damaging the front bedroom and living room windows of a house at Kilbride Park,
Edgeworthstown, public intoxication and engaging in threatening and abusive behaviour.
At a previous hearing, Sergeant Enda Daly, court presenter, said Gardaí responded to a call about the incident at 4.45am on October 1, 2023.
The defendant had been socialising in her own home when she saw her car on fire outside her house.
The defendant was intoxicated and went to a nearby house in Kilbride Park and threw a gas cylinder at the house, breaking two windows.
Gardaí arrived and Ms Flemming was in a highly intoxicated state and very abusive.
The defendant was arrested and brought to Longford garda station. She made full admissions about her actions.
Referring to the attack on the car, solicitor Brid Mimnagh said her client “knew who did this”.
Ms Mimnagh said the arson attack was “the third car burned out in a period of three weeks” and that Ms Flemming was “naturally upset”.
“She accepts that what she did was wrong, but wanted to confront someone about the fire,” Ms Mimnagh said, adding, “Sinead is claiming she reported the fire attack incident to Gardaí before she took action.”
The legal representative said there were significant repercussions for the defendant as she had difficulty with council accommodation arising from the incident.
Ms Mimnagh asked the judge if there was any way her client, who had no previous convictions, could avoid a criminal record and she stated she believed a probation report would "show that this was out of character".
Judge Bernadette Owens subsequently agreed and in recent days she was told it was deemed Ms Flemming was at a low risk of reoffending.
She noted the defendant had not been in trouble previously or since the incident and she decided to strike out the charges but warned her she will need to stay out of trouble.
"I will give her that opportunity but what happens next is in your court," she said. "Your behaviour was entirely inappropriate."