A CASTLEBAR man has been sentenced to a week in custody after he was found guilty of breaking Covid-19 regulations during a Level-5 lockdown.
Eamon Maughan (23) of 29 Knockthomas Drive, Castlebar, pleaded guilty at last week’s sitting of Castlebar District Court to breaching the regulations on April 17 last.
The court heard that Mr Maughan and two other indivuduals were found walking along the Newport Road, Castlebar, at 3.53am. They gave no good reason for being there when spoken to by gardaí.
The three males were advised to return to their homes, but they refused saying they were going to a friend’s house. None of the men were adhering to social-distancing guidelines, and a file was prepared for the DPP.
The court heard that at the time, Mr Maughan was also on bail for a separate offence and in breach of his bail conditions, which included a curfew.
Mr Tom Walsh, solicitor for the defendant, said that earlier that evening, his client had been thrown out of his house after an argument with his mother, and had no where else to go. He added he had not come to the attention of the Gardaí since the incident.
Mr Maughan also pleaded guilty to affray after getting into a fight with another man in Castlebar on July 2, 2019. The court heard that at 2.20pm on July 2, 2019, gardaí observed Mr Maughan shouting down his phone. He was directed to leave the area, but 20 minutes later gardaí received a report of a fight on Main Street.
CCTV footage showed the defendant and another man in a physical fight on Main Street. The fight then moved onto Shambes Lane, which resulted in a build-up of traffic and pedestrians unable to get by the pair.
Mr Walsh described the incident as ‘more pushing and shoving’, saying no serious assault arose from the incident. He explained that at the time, his client was taking cocaine, cannabis and alcohol on an almost daily basis but was now clear from substances and wanted to leave that life behind him.
However, Judge Lydon noted that since she had started working in the district she had noticed Mr Maughan gather a spectrum of offences and she has grave concerns for him.
For breaching the Covid regulations Judge Lydon sentenced Eamon Maughan to one week’s imprisonment, saying it would make him think twice about breaching the regulations in the future.
The court heard Mr Maughan is currently serving a suspended sentence imposed by the Circuit Court, and he is due to appear before today’s (Tuesday) sitting of Castlebar Circuit Court, where it will be decided whether to activate his sentence.
Castlebar man jailed for breaching Covid regulations
