A Judge has jailed a 21-year-old alcoholic man for nine months after he went on a crime spree in a Co Donegal town.
Keith Boyle appeared before Letterkenny District Court charged with a litany of offences arising out of his addiction to alcohol.
Boyle, of Derryveagh Avenue, Letterkenny appeared in court already having a total of 49 previous convictions.
Judge Paul Kelly said he had warned Boyle last year to “get to grips” with his alcohol issue but he now appeared before him again with new charges.
Those charges included making threats with a knife, stealing two mobile phones, possessing a stolen social welfare card, stealing alcohol, threatening staff at a takeaway and stealing alcohol.
Other charges included causing €650 of damage to two gaming machines, being involved in a hit and run and public order offences.
On one occasion on September 27th, 2017 he went to a house at Thornberry in Letterkenny and told a woman that her son owed him €200 and produced a knife from inside his jacket.
When the woman’s husband appeared, he fled in a taxi and later represented himself to Gardai.
Less than a month later on October 17th, 2017, he struck a worker at The Grill takeaway on Port Road in Letterkenny when asked to leave and returned a short time later with a piece of timber and smashed a window.
Solicitor for the accused, Mr Kieran O’Gorman, said his client had pleaded guilty to all of these offences.
He said Boyle was an alcoholic at the age of just 21 years but is trying to sort his addiction and has booke din to see an alcohol counsellor.
“He is a very different man that appears here today than when I met him a few months ago. He is trying and he is seeking help,” said Mr O’Gorman.
Boyle was supported in court by he mother, sister and other family members.
However, Judge Paul Kelly said he had previously seen the same pattern with Boyle and his problems with alcohol.
He said “It’s a shocking state of affairs that 21-year-old has 49 convictions. He appeared last year with the same pattern of numerous charges and was dealt with by the court.
“There was a litany of offences and that has continued – very often frequently and regularly which he was on bail.
“The injured parties are unlikely to recover any of their items or be compensated for any of the damage.
“In March last year I told him to use the opportunity to address his alcohol issues and he has had numerous opportunities to address that. I hope he gets to grips with that.
“But I have no option but to deal with this by way of custodial sentence.”
He sentenced Boyle to a total of nine months on the various charges.