Drunk and aggressive man was lying on the ground in Culdaff when gardai arrived

A very drunk and aggressive Moville man, who was lying on the ground when gardai encountered him last year, has been fined €300 in court.

David McLaughlin, of 33 Ard Na Guile Duibhe, Moville, faced a charge of public drunkenness under Section 4 of the Public Order Act at Carndonagh District Court.

The 43-year-old defendant, who has 19 previous convictions, did not appear before the court, which was sitting in Buncrana, to answer the latest charge against him.

However, Judge Brendan O’Reilly directed that the case could go ahead, after being shown proof that Mr McLaughlin was notified of the proceedings.

“We’re not going to adjourn a Section 4 Public Order case again,” the judge ruled.

Garda Christopher McGinley presented the evidence against the Moville man, outlining to the court how he had received a report of a male being highly intoxicated at Oldtown, Culdaff, on the evening of Wednesday, October 2, 2024.

“When I arrived at the scene, I observed a male, David McLaughlin, who was at that stage lying on the ground.”

“He was highly intoxicated and struggling to get to his feet, but he was also acting in a very aggressive manner. I observed a cut to his face from falling over onto a public laneway.”

Garda McGinley said Mr McLaughlin was arrested and handcuffed at 7.04pm that evening.

“I placed him into handcuffs for the safety of himself, and for the safety of myself,” he told the court.

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Mr McLaughlin was arrested under Section 24 of the Public Order Act for an offence under Section 4.

“I explained the reason for his arrest to him. He was cautioned, placed into the back of the Garda patrol van, and conveyed to Buncrana Garda Station,” Garda McGinley continued in his evidence.

A fixed penalty notice was subsequently issued for the offence; however, the postal fine was not paid and the matter progressed to court as a result.

Sgt Conor Mulkerns then revealed to the court how Mr McLaughlin has 19 previous convictions, including three previous convictions under Section 4 of the Public Order Act. He said the most recent offence dated back to July 2017.

Taking into account the evidence, the non-appearance and his previous, Judge O’Reilly convicted Mr McLaughlin of the offence and fined him €300, with three months to pay.