Man was abusive to gardaí in front of Kildare schoolchildren

A man pleaded guilty to using abusive language to gardaí and to committing a public disorder offence outside of a school in Kildare.

Andrew Dempsey, with an address listed as 79 Anne Street in Prosperous, admitted to the offence when he was before Naas District Court on Thursday, March 9.

The 39-year-old was accused of committing the offence at a Kildare school on March 20, 2021.

It was heard that he became argumentative while speaking to gardaí near the school, and called them 'sh*tebags' and 'scumbags.'

Gardaí told Judge Desmond Zaidan that children were exiting the school grounds at the time of the offence, and said that Mr Dempsey has 17 previous convictions, most of which were for road traffic offences.

Defending barrister Donncha Craddock said his client was 'in an anxious (mental) state' at the time and became agitated, although his client admitted that he 'overreacted' and was apologetic over his demeanour on the date in question.

In response, Judge Zaidan said: "The only person who came out of that situation looking like an 'S.B.' was him."

He also criticised Mr Dempsey for using abusive language in front of so many children.

Although the judge said he considered imposing a custodial sentence on Mr Dempsey, he ultimately decided instead to fine him €750 for both offences, totalling €1,500 in fines.