Mum of five jailed for biting senior garda's hand at courthouse

Sunday World

5 days ago

Incident took place in foyer after the defendant was asked to leave.
Mundrita Muntean, Meadowbank, Athlone pleaded guilty to assaulting Detective Inspector Ray Mulderrig and to using threatening and abusive behaviour on December 13 last year.
Sergeant Fergus Flynn led by Mr Leo Mulrooney, BL instructed by State Solicitor Elisa McHugh told the court that in a statement Detective Inspector Mulderrig said he was attending a sentencing hearing for two juveniles at the courthouse on December 13, 2024.
During the hearing the defendant was either crying or commenting as the court case proceeded as she sat at the back of the courtroom.
Det Inspector Mulderrig asked a garda to ask her to be quiet. She was asked to leave the court room.
At 3pm there was a commotion in the foyer of the court and there was a loud noise at the entrance to the court room.
The incident took place during a sitting of the Circuit Court at Sligo courthouse.
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When the Detective Inspector went out to the foyer, Muntean was talking loudly on her mobile phone.
When he asked her to be quiet, she told him to "f**k off'.
He produced his identity card and asked her to leave, but she ignored hm and pushed at him.
The Detective Inspector put her left hand between her shoulders and she pushed back at him, telling him to 'f**k off' again.
He told her she was being arrested for using threatening, insulting and abusive behaviour.
The defendant then went limp and fell to the ground.
The Detective Inspector pulled her to her feet and moved her to the entrance of the courthouse with one hand grasping her clothing and the other hand on her shoulder.
The defendant turned around and bit his finger, breaking the skin and drawing blood, the court heard.
Det Inspector brought the defendant to the ground and kept her there until Garda Gillespie arrived and brought her across to the Garda Station.
Garda Gillespie witnessed the assault and Garda Fergus O'Brien took pictures of the officer's hand.
Detective Inspector Mulderrig attended his GP later and a medical report said his middle finger had been injured and the cut caused three breaks to the skin.
The skin was cleaned with sterilised water and antibiotics were prescribed. There was no victim impact statement.
The court heard the defendant had 17 previous convictions, including three for obstruction and the remainder for theft and handling stolen property. Read more
Mr Colm Smyth, SC with Keith O'Grady BL instructed by Mr Tom MacSharry, Solicitor told the court the charge of assault causing harm had been withdrawn in favour of one of assault.
Mr Smyth said become upset during the course of a case being heard before the court and was later talking on the phone.
The defendant was a Romanian national and had five children ranging in ages from four to sixteen.
One of her children had a serious medical condition and another had ADHD and her youngest child was very dependent on her, the court heard.
The defendant was under a lot of stress with her family.
She apologised to the Garda and had pleaded guilty to charges of assault and using threatening, insulting and abusive behaviour at the earliest opportunity.
Mr Smyth said his client was asking for leniency.
Her behaviour was not justified but she was hysterical at the time.
Mr Smyth asked the court not to impose an immediate custodial sentence but to leave something hanging over her head.
He asked the court to take into account, that her eldest son had medical issues.
'She has seen the error of her ways and will not be in trouble again. Jail would impose great hardship,' he said.
Judge Ronan Munro said there was an element of 'I am not going to do what you tell me' about the defendant.
When Mr Smyth again asked the court to have something hanging over her head, the judge said she had received suspended sentences before.
Mr Smyth said these were many years ago.
In sentencing the defendant, Judge Munro said it was a minor assault and the Detective Inspector was not making a big deal about it.
But she had assaulted a garda in the course of his duty and above all places, the rule of law should be observed in a courthouse.
She had been given plenty of chances by the Garda to move on, the court heard.
This was 'not an aberration as it went on for some time and Detective Inspector produced his ID but she told him to 'f**k off'.
In mitigation, she made an early plea, she had children with difficulties, there was no major effects on the Detective Inspector and she was emotional at the time.
But, given her record, it was clear she thought she could offend the law.
The judge said he did not think she would change her ways, and she did not have any respect for the gardai or the courts.
He added that he was jailing her as 'an attack on a garda is the same as attacking society'.
The judge jailed the defendant for six weeks for the assault charge and took the charge of using threatening, insulting and abusive behaviour into account.
The judge said it was a short sentence and would have an effect on her family, but this type of incident must not be tolerated.
The defendant started weeping, but the judge said she had no respect for the gardai or the court.