‘Embarrassed' Wicklow man threatened to kill gardaí and their families
A Wicklow man has pleaded guilty to multiple charges before Bray District Court following an incident at his home, during which it is alleged he shouted abuse at gardaí.
Martin O'Brein of Cooldross Close, Kilcoole, Co. Wicklow was charged with two offenses for intoxication in a public place and engaging in abusive or insulting behaviour on June 9, 2025, at Cooldross Close, Kilcoole, Co. Wicklow.
The court heard An Garda Síochána responded to reports of a domestic dispute but instead they observed Mr O'Brein stumbling across the street.
When confronted Mr O'Brein 'had a strong smell of alcohol' and began to shout 'get the f**k out my estate or I will kill your family' at gardaí.
Mr Obrien's solicitor told the court that his client had been involved in a serious road traffic collision and had sustained a serious brain injury, which left him taking ten different types of medication daily. He had letters from Mr O'Brien's GP and from Brain Injury Ireland to attest to the severity of his injury.
Mr O'Brien told the court he was 'ashamed and embarrassed', he has previously worked as a labourer and is only recently married. Mr O'Brein's solicitor added that 'Mr Obrein's actions were not his general demeanour'.
Mr O'Brein is already serving a four-year driving ban and previously had a sentence suspended for three months.
The judge decided not to enforce his suspended sentence due to the accused's brain injury and found him guilty under Probation Act Section 1.1.
Funded by the Court Reporting Scheme
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Sunday World
8 hours ago
- Sunday World
Teacher struck off register after defrauding colleagues out of €2,000 in ‘elaborate hoax'
Teachers were induced to part with significant sums of money for various goods, including Christmas presents for their children. A primary school teacher who defrauded three colleagues out of over €2,000 in 'an elaborate hoax' and failed to repay a €1,000 loan from her school's board of management has been struck off from the register of teachers. An inquiry panel of the Teaching Council also directed that the teacher cannot apply to be reinstated to the register for a minimum of five years at a sanction hearing on Thursday. The teacher, who cannot be named by direction of the three-person panel, did not attend the fitness-to-teach inquiry and was not legally represented. The panel found the teacher – who is in her early 30s – guilty of professional misconduct and in breach of the Code of Professional Conduct for Teachers in relation to four out of five allegations against her. The chairperson of the inquiry, Paul Moroney, said the panel had concluded that the findings were 'fundamentally incompatible' with the teacher remaining on the Register of Teachers. File image. News in 90 Seconds - August 15th Mr Moroney said the level of dishonesty involved in the deception of three of her teaching colleagues was 'disgraceful and dishonourable' and involved exploitation by inducing them to part with significant sums of money for various goods, including Christmas presents for their children. He also claimed she had failed to demonstrate any insight into her misconduct. 'There remains a disturbing absence of any empathy for her victims or any understanding of the nature and extent of her wrongdoing,' he added. The findings related to the teacher dishonestly obtaining sums of €375 and €545 via Revolut from two special needs assistants in October 2021 at the school in the east of the country where she taught. The payments were made in exchange for discounted Apple products which were never received. It was also proven that she had similarly obtained €1,102 by deception from a teacher at her school in September 2021. The panel separately found that the teacher had failed to repay a loan of approximately €1,000 obtained from her school's board of management in September 2021 as an advance on her salary, despite repeated requests for repayment. The panel also deemed an allegation that the teacher had driven off from an Applegreen service station on the M1 on September 22, 2021 without paying for €15 of fuel had been proven but found that it did not constitute professional misconduct or a breach of the profession's code of conduct. The findings were made on the basis of evidence of several witnesses from the school and Garda evidence from related criminal proceedings for which the teacher received the Probation Act and was spared a criminal conviction. Mr Moroney described the deception by the teacher as 'elaborate and carefully planned.' He said she had persisted with the hoax with detailed and apparently credible explanations for delays in providing the goods which were 'entirely untrue.' 'The nature and extent of the deviousness was a fundamental betrayal of the trust that normally exists between teachers and their colleagues,' said Mr Moroney. He claimed the failure to repay the loan to the school's board of management had deprived its students of the money and the deception involved was 'elaborate and persistent.' Mr Moroney said the panel had sought a fair and appropriate sanction which would protect the public and maintain trust and confidence in teachers and the way they were regulated. However, he said the elaborate and sophisticated nature of the deception, which had involved the preparation of price lists, fake documents from suppliers and references to couriers with delivery dates, was 'disturbing.' He said the teacher's actions 'pointed to a complete lack of empathy for her victims and their families' as well as showing no appreciation for depriving students of school funds. The panel noted the money taken from her colleagues had been repaid by the time she appeared in court in September 2022 after which she resigned from her teaching post. However, she has only repaid €50 of the sum owed to the board of management. Solicitor for the Teaching Council, James Roche, told the panel that the teacher had consented for the sanction hearing to proceed in her absence as she was attending a wedding abroad. Mr Roche acknowledged that while the findings against the teacher were serious, they were 'not at the extreme upper end.' The inquiry heard that the teacher, who had amassed €82,000 worth of debt, claimed she had been clear of her gambling addiction for the past two years and had not got into any trouble since. In correspondence with the Teaching Council, the teacher claimed she should be given a second chance by her professional body as she had been given one by a judge. She wrote: 'Numerous gambling addicts in the country get a second chance and I believe I deserve one.' The teacher asked the inquiry panel to take into consideration that she had suffered several personal hardships including illness of both her parents and the death of her father in 2020. She also had other family bereavements including two relatives who were killed on the roads and had experienced a burglary in her home by two individuals she subsequently discovered were convicted murderers. Although the teacher had indicated a wish to stay teaching, she also accepted that she probably would not work in the profession again. She claimed she had intended to get the items that she had promised but had 'dug a hole' with her gambling. Her counsellor informed the Teaching Council that her gambling was a coping mechanism for the multiple losses she had encountered but she had worked to overcome her addiction and it would be 'appalling' if she lost her ability to teach due to a mental illness. However, Mr Moroney said no independent expert report or evidence had been received about the teacher's health issues and the panel were not persuaded she had any relevant health issue now or previously which would mitigate the sanction. He said it was striking that she had made only fleeting references to being embarrassed and apologising for her actions in the course of extensive written communications with the Teaching Council over several years. Mr Moroney said the panel could not say with any confidence when, if ever, it might be appropriate to restore the teacher's name to the register but it had concluded she could not reapply for a period of five years. The ruling will need to be ratified by the High Court to formally take effect.
Irish Examiner
16 hours ago
- Irish Examiner
Irish Examiner view: Commissioner must restore faith in rule of law
The Crowe Report, an independent review of roads policing which was published yesterday morning, makes for difficult reading — and not just for the gardaí. The report finds that a majority of gardaí involved in roads policing are productive and professional, but it has also highlighted issues with poor productivity and behaviour among a 'noticeable' minority, stating some are 'unproductive' and appear 'demotivated and unconcerned' with doing their jobs properly. This is deeply concerning on many levels. The number of road deaths this year, at the time of writing, was 103, which is higher than two fatalities per week. The fact that the section of An Garda Síochána charged with policing the roads has been condemned in such trenchant language by an independent review will not instil confidence in the safety of our road systems. There are other factors involved in the number of serious traffic accidents, but the fact that 'noticeable' numbers of the enforcement agency policing this area are unproductive only serves to embolden those breaking the law on the roads. In addition, the report's findings also do little for the standing of the Gardaí generally. It is widely accepted that the job of a garda has rarely been more difficult, and revelations such as this undermine the authority of the force across the board. It is also the latest in a series of scandals involving serving members of the force. These have ranged from a former garda jailed for inciting men to rape a female colleague and her daughters, to another former garda who was convicted of selling cocaine. These, and other matters, are sure to loom large in the in-tray of incoming Garda Commissioner Justin Kelly, who takes up his new role on September 1. His immediate predecessor, Drew Harris, has drawn plenty of criticism in recent years, and it remains to be seen how his tenure will be evaluated in the long term, but Mr Kelly has more than enough to contend with himself next month. A lack of confidence in the gardaí means a lack of confidence in the rule of law. Zelenskyy needs real guarantees On Friday, US president Donald Trump and Russian president Vladimir Putin are to meet in Alaska, with the war in Ukraine expected to dominate the agenda. This, the blandest statement of the facts possible, is about as decisive as anyone can be about this meeting; long experience has taught us all to treat anything said or promised by Mr Trump with extreme caution. It might be worth noting, for instance, that some residents of Anchorage, Alaska, have pointed to their president initially saying he was meeting Mr Putin in Russia and have — half-jokingly — sought assurances that their state will not be sold back to Russia. The fact that a discussion of Ukraine's future is being held without the presence of that country's president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, is an obvious caveat ahead of any agreements that might emerge from those discussions. Mr Zelenskyy has been in Britain in recent days holding talks with British prime minister Keir Starmer. Even at a remove of several thousand kilometres, the Ukrainian president articulated what might be expected from the discussions in Alaska when discussing his meeting with Mr Starmer: 'We discussed expectations from the meeting in Alaska and possible prospects. We also discussed in detail the security guarantees that could make peace truly sustainable if the United States manages to pressure Russia into stopping the killings and engaging in genuine, meaningful diplomacy.' As someone who has seen at first hand the impact of Mr Putin's attacks on his country, it is no surprise that Mr Zelenskyy isolated the two linked issues which are involved here. What specific security guarantees could make peace sustainable? Can Russia, as the aggressor in this conflict, be trusted to accept and maintain such guarantees? In order to do so, as Mr Zelenskyy pointed out, Russia would have to stop the killings and engage in meaningful diplomacy. More meaningful diplomacy than lunch with Mr Trump in Alaska, at any rate. Invasive species The recent warm weather has probably encouraged many readers to enjoy the outdoors, which makes recent warnings about the Asian hornet all the more timely. An invasive species, the hornet is native to South-East Asia, but has spread to Europe in recent decades. One was spotted in Cork by a member of the public, sparking a biosecurity alert, but the National Parks and Wildlife Service has since said the hornet has been captured, and the Government has convened a taskforce to co-ordinate a response to the sighting. The presence of the Asian hornet is a serious matter — although it does not pose a significant public health risk, even a single hornet nest has the potential to devastate native bee populations. Given how central bees are to our entire ecosystem, it is no surprise that this is being taken very seriously by the Government. The official advice is that people continue to keep their eyes open and report any sightings of the Asian hornet, but to avoid disturbing or capturing them. The good news is that there is no evidence of a nest, while the fact that a member of the public identified the hornet is also encouraging. As minister of state for biodiversity Christopher O'Sullivan said, this shows 'members of the public are our eyes on the ground'. Long may that continue.
Sunday World
19 hours ago
- Sunday World
‘Embarrassed' Wicklow man threatened to kill gardaí and their families
A Wicklow man pleaded guilty to multiple charges before Bray District Court. A Wicklow man has pleaded guilty to multiple charges before Bray District Court following an incident at his home, during which it is alleged he shouted abuse at gardaí. Martin O'Brein of Cooldross Close, Kilcoole, Co. Wicklow was charged with two offenses for intoxication in a public place and engaging in abusive or insulting behaviour on June 9, 2025, at Cooldross Close, Kilcoole, Co. Wicklow. The court heard An Garda Síochána responded to reports of a domestic dispute but instead they observed Mr O'Brein stumbling across the street. When confronted Mr O'Brein 'had a strong smell of alcohol' and began to shout 'get the f**k out my estate or I will kill your family' at gardaí. Mr Obrien's solicitor told the court that his client had been involved in a serious road traffic collision and had sustained a serious brain injury, which left him taking ten different types of medication daily. He had letters from Mr O'Brien's GP and from Brain Injury Ireland to attest to the severity of his injury. Mr O'Brien told the court he was 'ashamed and embarrassed', he has previously worked as a labourer and is only recently married. Mr O'Brein's solicitor added that 'Mr Obrein's actions were not his general demeanour'. Mr O'Brein is already serving a four-year driving ban and previously had a sentence suspended for three months. The judge decided not to enforce his suspended sentence due to the accused's brain injury and found him guilty under Probation Act Section 1.1. Funded by the Court Reporting Scheme
