Garda threatened as they searched Blackrock halting site

A MARRIED father of three who threatened gardaí conducting a search at the halting site where he lived has been given a suspended sentence.

John McDonagh (36), of St. Louise’s Park, Temple Hill, Blackrock, pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to threatening to kill or cause serious harm to Garda Donacha Ryan. He has 11 previous convictions.

Judge Desmond Hogan had adjourned sentencing after hearing evidence in July to allow a probation report be prepared.

He commented that McDonagh had been “very brave in his own back garden” when gardaí were outnumbered. The court heard the area was “an almost no-go area for gardaí”.

Today Judge Hogan imposed a four-year sentence which he suspended on a number of conditions including that he perform 240 hours’ unpaid work in the community.

He also ordered that McDonagh complete drug or alcohol treatment programmes as directed by the Probation Service.

Sergeant Gordon Woulfe told Noel Devitt BL, prosecuting, that there was an extensive early morning search being carried out at the halting site involving a number of gardaí and the Garda helicopter. There had been another search the previous month and tensions were high.

Gardaí were preparing to leave the site at 10am and were putting items that had been seized into a patrol car when Gda Ryan heard McDonagh shout from his house at Garda Neill Doyle.

McDonagh told Gda Ryan: “You are lucky you were not here yesterday or I would have blown your f******g head off.”

McDonagh then turned his attention to Gda Ryan, calling him a “cancerous bastard” and telling him he would pour petrol through his letter box. He also told Gda Ryan he would “put the tongue out of your head”.

Sgt Woulfe said McDonagh then began making threats to other gardaí in the vicinity.

McDonagh was arrested and interviewed later that month. He told gardaí he had undergone surgery on his ear the day prior to the search and had been taking morphine that day.

Defence counsel, John Dunne BL, suggested to Sgt Woulfe that the threats had been made out of “bad temper”. Sgt Woulfe said he could not accept that and commented that the estate was “an almost no-go area for gardaí.”

He agreed that although McDonagh had referred to “yesterday” in one of his threats, he had in fact been in hospital that day. Sgt Woulfe said he would accept McDonagh’s apology “at face value”.

Mr Dunne said McDonagh had “acute issues with alcohol and narcotics” and when drugs and drink were in the picture he gets in trouble. He had no recollection of the events and was ashamed.

He submitted that McDonagh was trying to turn his life around and handed in a number of testimonials on his client’s behalf. He said his use of narcotics and alcohol was under control as well.

Fiona Ferguson