A Galway boxing coach will have to wait and see how his conviction for a serious public order offence will impact on his licence to coach, Galway District Court heard this week.
Appearing before Judge John Brennan was Patrick Ward, 12, Greenview Heights, Newcastle, on a series of public order offences. A Section 19 charge of assault or obstructing a Garda and a Section 16 charge of affray were not proceeded with and Ward was faced with a single charge under Section 6, using threatening and abusive behaviour in a public place.
The Judge said coaching boxing was a good activity to be involved in as it could be a vital safety valve for young people, diverting them from negative influences, but he had to take into account the seriousness of the incident.
The Court heard that Ward and a number of other men began causing trouble at The Galmont hotel. They showed a high level of aggression, and security staff had to call the Gardaí for assistance in dealing with them.
When Gardaí arrived Ward was highly abusive towards them. He was very drunk and used foul language towards the Gardaí and was so aggressive that he had to be arrested.
The Court was told that his behaviour on the night was highly unreasonable. Ward had seven previous convictions, most for traffic offences, but he was convicted of a similar charge in 2017.
John Martin solr (defending ) said his client was not a big drinker and had not taken a drink since the incident. His behaviour on the night was out of character. He was 40 and had seven children. There had been a family event on the night in question.
His client was a boxing coach and he was not sure what effect a conviction would have on his coaching licence.
Judge Brennan said it had obviously been a highly charged situation before the Gardaí arrived and it was a terrible situation for them to have to deal with.
The prosecuting Garda Sgt told the Judge that it was an “appalling incident” and a very difficult one for the Gardaí involved to deal with. The Judge said that the offence was at the “upper end” of a Section 6 charge. A conviction and a fine of €400 was imposed.
