Suspended terms for man who made ‘deeply unpleasant’ comments to girls

A 52-YEAR-OLD Carrickmacross man who made “unsavoury” comments to two teenage girls was given suspended jail sentences amounting to four months when the matter came before Monaghan District Court recently.

Brian McCabe of Monanny, Donaghmoyne, Carrickmacross, had pleaded guilty to being intoxicated and to engaging in threatening and abusive behaviour in the town’s Drummond Otra area on September 9, 2023.

Inspector Declan McGarvey told the court that complaints had been made by two girls, who would have been 14 or 15 at the time, with regard to comments that were made in their vicinity by the defendant.

A statement outlining what was allegedly said was not read out in court but handed in to Judge Raymond Finnegan, who remarked to defence counsel Sara Brennan that it was “not very nice”.

Ms Brennan agreed that what was alleged was “deeply unpleasant”.

Judge Finnegan suggested that Mr McCabe might need a period of time in prison to “think about his attitude to females”.

The court was told about a number of previous convictions relating to the defendant, including counts of sexual assault, and of harassment and stalking, for which he received a suspended prison sentence in 2016 and numerous public order breaches since then, the most recent being for public intoxication in October 2024.

‘Bag of Cans’

Ms Brennan said her client was a single man with no children who was in receipt of disability allowance, and who had a very long history of alcohol abuse and misuse. Around his own area he was referred to by young people as “Bag of Cans”, which had arisen from his lengthy periods of homelessness. Most of McCabe’s previous convictions were related to public intoxication, counsel contended, and his drink issues were making him a danger to himself more than anything else. But it was accepted that the incident before the court was “very unsavoury”.

He had in fact been “genuinely shocked” when shown footage of what he had said, and he was “extremely apologetic” for it. He had been trying to get some work to keep him off the drink, and is currently working a few days a week with a builder, Ms Brennan added.

Asked by the judge if he was proud of himself for what was disgusting behaviour, Mr McCabe said he was not.

Imposing consecutive two-month prison sentences on each summons, Judge Finnegan suspended the terms for 24 months on a €100 bond, but warned the defendant he would have “no hesitation” in sending him to jail if there were any further breaches over the two years.