Suspended sentence for Donegal man who interfered with Gardai carrying out arrest
Letterkenny District Court heard that the defendant has 96 previous convictions, including 16 under section 6 of the Public Order Act
A Donegal man with 96 previous convictions has been given a suspended prison sentence after interfering with Gardai who were in the process of arresting another individual.
Joseph Colhoun was given a one-month prison sentence, suspended for more months, when he appeared before Letterkenny District Court.
Colhoun was charged over separate incidents, which occurred within hours of each other, on March 24, 2026 and March 25, 2026.
The 43-year-old, a native of Lifford whose address was listed as no fixed abode, was charged with offences contrary to the Criminal Justice (Public Order) Act, 1994.
Sergeant Jim Collins outlined the incidents to the court.
At 5.30pm on March 24, Gardai were arresting a man at Letterkenny Bus Station when Colhoun intervened. Colhoun was said to have become abusive to Gardai and proceeded to shout derogatory terms at the officers.
Colhoun struggled with Gardai and had to be handcuffed before being brought to Letterkenny Garda Station.
At 1.32am on March 25, Gardai received a call about a drunk man at Port Road, Letterkenny. When Gardai arrived, Colhoun was “highly intoxicated” and Sergeant Collins told the court that “he wasn’t quite sure where he was”.
When he sobered up, Colhoun was described as “fully cooperative”.
The court heard that Colhoun has 96 previous convictions, including 16 under section 6 of the Public Order Actt.
“He is unfortunately the victim of a very significant alcohol addiction that has affected his entire life and wellbeing since his late teens,” Mr Frank Dorrian, solicitor for Colhoun, said.
“He has been before the court, usually if not exclusively for matters associated with alcohol. A lot of it is beyond his control. The threat of prison worked well for periods of time.
“He has observed some extensive periods of sobriety. His welfare, to a large extent, crashed and, as a result of his incarceration, lost his entitlement to take up a lease on a Local Authority property following the death of his parents. At the moment, he is effectively homeless.
“He and his friends can be seen walking aimlessly around town. He behaves perfectly well without alcohol.”
Mr Dorrian told the court that Colhoun’s life has been “beset with tragedy” and he “does his best to deal with problems.
Mr Dorrian added: “He is in the throes of an addiction, which he tries to manage, and he explodes in this way from time to time.”
Judge Emile Daly said that difficulty arises from Colhoun’s addiction to alcohol, but said that the behaviour was problematic from the point of view of Gardai.
“He doesn’t pay his fines so that creates a cycle of non-penalty,” Judge Daly said.
Colhoun was sentenced to one month in prison and Judge Daly suspended the term behind bars for four months on condition that Colhoun does not come to adverse attention in that period of time.