Sentencing in the case of a man who threatened to harm a psychiatric nurse and harassed a retired Garda whom he’d held a grudge against for seventeen years, has been adjourned for six months to see if he engages with services to deal with his mental health issues.
Mark Condon (47), with a former address at Rahylin Glebe, Ballybane, who now resides with his parents in Clonmel, appeared before Galway Circuit Criminal Court last week for sentence.
Prosecuting barrister Conor Fahy explained there were three separate sets of offences which Condon had pleaded guilty to relating to three separate incidents.
Detective Sergeant Paudie O’Shea said the first incident involved Condon stealing a set of car keys from a clamper on March 14, 2013 at a car park in Clybaun. He became abusive towards the clamper when his jeep was clamped and took his car keys off him before going to a nearby pub. He threatedned the garda called to deal with the incident.
The next incident, Sgt O’Shea said, occurred at Fairhill on June 14 last year. Condon had been at a restaurant owned by his ex-wife in Dominick Street and had been ejected from that premises. He was very abusive and threatening and was later charged with being drunk and breaching the peace.
Sgt O’Shea said the third incident involved the harassment of a retired Garda and threats to kill a psychiatric nurse. He said Condon persistently texted and phoned the retired Garda over a one-week period last June. The garda had prosecuted Condon 17 years beforehand and it appeared Condon bore a grudge against him.
Condon left twelve messages on the man’s phone on June 22 alone and eight messages two days later. In one communication, Condon had told the retired Garda: “It’s been 17 years, four houses and two daughters and now I’m plotting my return.”
Sgt O’Shea said the retired Garda moved house during the period of the harassment and he became greatly alarmed when he discovered Condon had been monitoring his movements.
The next incident, Sgt O’Shea said, occurred when Condon was a voluntary inpatient in the Psychiatric Unit at UHG. He went missing one evening and a psychiatric nurse – who was concerned for his welfare – phoned Condon’s parents early the next morning to see if he was okay.
Condon rang her back a few minutes later and was extremely abusive and threatening towards her. He used foul language and said: “I will get you and break your neck.”
Mr Fahy said Condon and gone on trial for threatening to kill or cause serious harm to the nurse but he pleaded guilty during the trial to threatening to cause her serious harm.
He said Condon had pleaded guilty to several counts of criminal damage involving his in-laws at Galway Circuit Criminal Court in February 1999, and had pleaded guilty also to setting fire to their home. He had also made threats to kill one of his former in-laws and at the time, had also threatened to kill the now retired Garda, who had investigated the above offences.
The court at the time had imposed suspended sentences.
Judge Rory McCabe indicated the theft of the car keys merited a two-year sentence, the harassment of the retired Garda, three years and the threat to kill the nurse, four years.
He said the extent to which Condon served part or any of those sentences depended on his co-operation with the mental health and probation services over the next six months.
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