Judge in Longford court heard man concealed a large kitchen knife ‘for protection’

“How do you forget you have a large kitchen knife in the back of your shorts or in your pocket?”

That was the question asked by Judge Bernadette Owens at a recent sitting of Longford District Court as 31 year-old Patrick Donohue of 43 Woodview Estate, Bailieboro, Cavan, stood before her accused of having been found with the weapon in his pocket on June 21 last at Harbour View, Market Square, Longford.

The court heard how Garda Maeve Daly of Longford Garda Station arrested Mr Donohue at Harbour View at 3.20am under the Firearms and Offensive Weapons Act 1990. He was charged an hour and a half later.

The court was told that Mr Donohue claimed the knife was for protection.
Representing the accused, solicitor Brid Mimnagh said, “he’d had it in his pocket earlier because there were people he was afraid of who threatened to beat him up. He did intend to take it out of his pocket.”

In response, Judge Owens remarked, much to the amusement of those within the court, “How do you forget you have a large kitchen knife in the back of your shorts or in your pocket? You do not forget that!”

Ms Mimnagh replied that her client had taken a lot of alcohol on the date in question but that “he had no intention of using the knife.”

The solicitor told the court that Mr Donohue was currently carrying out community service and had almost half of it complete.

Judge Owens requested the probation officer in court carry out an assessment to determine if Mr Donohue was suitable for additional community service as she was aware that limits existed when it came to the number of hours a person could complete in a year.

The officer subsequently returned to inform the court that of the 100 hours Mr Donohue was to complete in his current community service, he had 40 hours remaining and would have to complete those he could begin the new hours.

Judge Owens accepted this and imposed 60 hours community service in lieu of a 3 month sentence.

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