A North Kerry man has been sentenced to seven months in prison for criminal damage.
Killian Kirby of 61 Kilcaragh, Lixnaw appeared at Tralee District Court facing two charges relating to an incident on February 3rd this year.
The court heard evidence from Mr Kirby’s neigbour, Paul O’Connell in relation to the incident.
He told Judge David Waters that on the night of February 2nd he was sitting in Walsh’s bar Lixnaw, when Mr Kirby entered the pub.
The 33-year-old approached Mr O’Connell shook hands with him and had a brief conversation. Mr Kirby exited – before re-entering the pub minutes later and began shouting insults at Mr O’Connell.
Mr O’Connell said that at 5.40am on February 3rd he was woken by a number of loud bangs and shouting from downstairs.
He looked out the upstairs bedroom window and could see a man in his back garden.
Mr O’Connell told the court that when he investigated the bangs in his house, he discovered his back patio door had been smashed by a garden slab; he said this had slid across the floor, hit and broke a radiator, which flooded the kitchen.
He added he later discovered his car had been damaged at the front of the house.
Mr O’Connell said sometime later he observed Mr Kirby jump into the boot of a car and close it before the car drove off.
Mr Kirby refuted the claims; His solicitor, Brendan Ahern put it to Mr O’Connell, as it was a dark night, how could he be sure the man in the garden was his client.
Mr O’Connell responded that Mr Kirby was shouting the same insults as he was the night before in the pub, they have been neigbors for years and that he’d recognize his voice a mile away.
Judge David Waters sentenced Killian Kirby to seven months in prison for on count criminal damage, backdated to July 10th.
The charge of criminal damage to the car was dismissed due to lack of evidence.
