A Probation and Community Service Report has been ordered on a man who accidentally caused the death of his dog while in a drunken state.
Hairdresser Diarmuid Crowley pleaded guilty to a charge of neglecting or were reckless regarding the health and welfare of an American Staffordshire Terrier dog named Mimi at Marine Court Apartments, Bundoran on March 19 2020.
Inspector David Durkin told the court that gardai got a call from the 41-year-old defendant saying that his dog was bleeding and needed a vet and he had no way of transporting the dog.
When Garda O’Hara went to the apartment at Marine Court he saw a large amount of blood on a sheepskin rug and a broken bottle of vodka.
The defendant directed gardai to a bedroom at the back of the apartment.
A large Staffordshire dog was alive but breathing heavily and the defendant was holding a blanket to its body.
There was a deep gash in the dog’s rib cage and blood on the floor.
A vet was called and looked at the animal, but it later died from loss of blood.
Inspector Durkin added that a subsequent report found that it could not be conclusively proved how the dog died.
In July 2020 the defendant told gardai that he had been drinking heavily and had smashed a bottle of vodka on the kitchen and accidentally injured his dog.
In a second incident on August 11 last year a member of the public made a report that a male was drunk on the street at 3.34 am.
Gardai found the defendant who was drunk and had cuts to his hands, legs and face.
He got very aggressive towards gardai and used foul language, struggled and punched garda McCarron on the shoulder and pulled his radio from his jacket and he bit the hand of Garda Meenaghan.
The defendant also damaged the wrist- watch of Garda McCarron.
Both gardai suffered minor injury and no skin was broken.
The court heard the defendant had previous convictions for assault and obstruction of a peace officer.
Defence Solicitor Gerry McGovern said the 41-year-old was now in a steady relationship for over a year and was a hair stylist who had worked all over the world and has his own businesses in Cork and Donegal, but Covid struck.
He had borrowed a lot of money and his businesses were closed down, and he had an addiction to alcohol.
Since these events he had done about his addiction and had gone into an addiction centre, and he was not proud of his actions.
He should know that he can’t take alcohol at all, but he had turned the corner and was getting good help from his partner and was now living in Kerry, but hoped to set up again.
The defendant was a very talented hairstylist and only for addiction he would be in business.
His memory of the incident with his dog was very poor.
He loved this animal and had it for nine years and it was a big part of his life.
When he came to, he saw the bottle of vodka and realised the dog was injured and caused by his drunken state he immediately tried to get help.
Paramedics could not come because of the Covid and the gardai gave all the help they could and got a vet for the dog who could not be saved because it had lost too much blood.
The Gardai saw how upset he was, and he cried his eyes out and not just then but for days after.
Before that incident there was no evidence that the dog was neglected in any way.
The dog was his main companion at that stage and was still remorseful, but he still had to take responsibility.
But he has to take responsibility as he put himself in that state by the alcohol he had consumed, and he was reckless in that regard, and he puts his hands up.
His partner was very determined to stand by him.
He was trying to stay away from alcohol in a letter he wrote for an in- house treatment facility.
In a second incident on August 11 last year a member of the public made a report that a male was drunk on the street at 3.34 am.
Gardai found the defendant who was drunk and had cuts to his hands, legs and face.
He got very aggressive towards gardai and used foul language, struggled and punched garda McCarron on the shoulder and pulled his radio from his jacket and he bit the hand of Garda Meenaghan.
The defendant also damaged the wrist watch of Garda McCarron.
Both gardai suffered minor injury and no skin was broken.
The court heard the defendant had previous convictions for assault and obstruction of a peace officer.
The defendant, with another address at 8 Marine Court Apartments, pleaded guilty to charges of assaulting Garda Martin McCarron and Garda Aaron Meenaghan and being a drunk and a danger to himself and others and using threatening and abusive behaviour at Main Street Bundoran on August 11 last year.
He was also charged with causing criminal damage to Garda McCarron’s jacket and sports watch.
The charges of public intoxication and using threatening and abusive behaviour were struck out and the criminal damage charge was also struck out when €100 compensation was produced in court.
Mr McGovern said the two gardai did not overplay their injuries.
Judge Sandra Murphy said the injury to the dog was a serious matter.
Mr McGovern said his client was the cause of what happened to the dog and it was like losing an extended member of the family and he nothing but remorse for a dog that he loved.
Judge Murphy put the case back for a Probation and Community Service Repot to July 15 saying these were very serious matters and she ordered an up-to-date report on his alcohol addiction.