Man who twice breached Letterkenny Garda staton custody area jailed for bizarre spree

A man who twice managed to gain access to the custody suite of Letterkenny Garda Station by entering a keypad code has been sentenced to prison after what the court heard were a string of “bizarre” trespass incidents. 

Josh Cullen faced seven charges arising from repeated incursions into restricted areas of the Garda station as well as criminal damage and trespass incidents at McGettigan’s Hotel and Atlantic Technological University.

Cullen was brought to court from Castlerea Prison, where he has been in custody since the end of October on these charges.

Cullen, a 22-year-old with an address at Avondale House, St Eunan’s Court, Letterkenny, was before the court on seven charges. 

Cullen was charged with two counts of entering Letterkenny Garda Station as a trespasser in circumstances giving rise to a reasonable inference that such entry was with intent to commit an offence or to unlawfully interfere with any property situated therein.

The charges are contrary to Section 11 of the Criminal Justice (Public Order) Act, 1994 as amended by section 22 of the Intoxicating Liquor Act, 2008.

He was also charged with criminal damage to glass on a fire alarm at McGettigan’s Hotel, contrary to section 2 (1) of the Criminal Damage Act, 1991.

Cullen was also charged with trespass on the cartilage of a building, a rear door restricted area of McGettigan’s Hotel, contrary to section 13 of the Criminal Justice (Public Order) Act, 1994 as amended by section 22 of the Intoxicating Liquor Act, 2008 

Cullen was charged with criminal damage to a wall in a cell of Letterkenny Garda Station and with entering Atlantic Technological University as a trespasser in circumstances giving rise to a reasonable inference that such entry was with intent to commit an offence or to unlawfully interfere with any property situate therein - a charge contrary to Section 11 of the Criminal Justice (Public Order) Act, 1994 as amended by section 22 of the Intoxicating Liquor Act, 2008.

Sergeant Jim Collins told the court that on September 20, 2025 Cullen accessed the custody suite of Letterkenny Garda Station by entering a code on a keypad and gaining entry without permission. Cullen started knocking on a door and told Gardai that he had been arrested. He had not been arrested and had no permission to be in the area.

On the same date, Gardai received a report of a fire alarm having been set off at McGettigan’s Hotel. CCTV was harvested and Cullen was observed damaging glass and setting off the alarm.

The following day, September 21, 2025, Cullen attempted to enter a code on a gate at Letterkenny Garda Station. He then entered the custody suite and was re-arrested. The same day, he set off the fire alarm at McGettigan’s Hotel and repeated the same offence on September 22, 2025 having entered the hotel via a back door.

That evening, after being arrested by Gardai and while detained at Letterkenny Garda Station, Cullen scraped paint off a wall in a cell, which cost €100 to be rectified.

On October 25 at 3.30pm, Cullen was captured on CCTV entering a restricted area of McGettigan’s Hotel and when approached by a manager to leave he refused to do so.

The next day, October 26, at 6.21pm, at ATU, Port Road, Letterkenny, a security alarm was activated in multiple zones. Cullen was found in the engineering department and told staff who approached him that he was a cleaner. There was no damage done and no property taken, the court heard.

Since his arrest on October 26, Cullen - who has no previous convictions - has been in custody.

His solicitor, Mr Frank Dorrian, said his client’s behaviour was “bizarre”.

“There was more of a nuisance value than actual criminal damage,” Mr Dorrian said. “He was engaging in behaviour that was a form of a protest at what he perceived to be a legitimate complaint about the health service. He says that he wasn’t receiving adequate care.”

Mr Dorrian said that while a report obtained outlined that the actions were not driven by an underlying medical illness, Cullen had “fairly lengthy engagement” with the services. 

“There were certain delusional elements,” Mr Dorrian said. “There was no history or pattern of violence. He felt that by setting off a fire alarm, it would draw attention to his plight. The entry to the Garda station was just doomed to fail. His situation was one of destitution at the time.”

Mr Dorrian said Cullen is “completely without family” and is to a “significant extent, friendless”.

“He is very much alone in the world,” the solicitor added.

Mr Dorrian told the court that Cullen has been in custody since the end of October and the experience has brought some understanding and clarity to his client.

“He understands the consequences of his behaviour,” Mr Dorrian said. “The consequences of this behaviour leads to prison and he is anxious not to repeat that. He has spent seven weeks in custody for setting off fire alarms.”

Judge Emile Daly said that the offences gave rise to difficulty and time wasting from the point of view of An Garda Siochana. She said that the incidents appeared to present in a way that was a cry for help.

“Nonetheless, there are aggravating matters in that they were repeated on the day and more or less repeated identically on the next day.”

Cullen himself attempted to address the court, but was advised not to.

Mr Dorrian urged the court not to have Cullen incarcerated for the Christmas period.

Judge Daly imposed a three prison sentence, backdated it to October 27 and suspended the final month on condition that Cullen not come to adverse attention.