Man guilty of harassing prominent Garda representative with ‘offensive material'
Andrew McGovern (38), of School Lane, Rathowen, Co Westmeath, appeared before Judge Bernadette Owens at Mullingar District Court on Thursday.
He previously entered a guilty plea on a charge of distributing or publishing a 'threatening or grossly offensive communication' about Antoinette Cunningham 'with intent to cause harm' between March 16th and 30th, 2023.
Ms Cunningham was the first woman to lead any of the Garda staff associations.
Last year she retired from her roles
with Agsi and the Garda after 33 years of service.
READ MORE
McGovern failed to show up for a sentencing hearing in March and a bench warrant was issued for his arrest. He was detained by gardaí the following week and granted bail pending the case coming before Judge Owens again on Thursday.
The matter was adjourned for two months pending the preparation of a probation report, with sentence to be handed down on July 17th. Under the legislation, anyone guilty of the offence McGovern pleaded guilty to faces a fine and/or a term of imprisonment of up to six months.
Ms Cunningham was present in court for the hearing, with a number of supporters. The court was told she was available to give her victim impact evidence, after having submitted it in written form in March, but that was also adjourned.
Judge Owens said hearing Ms Cunningham's victim impact evidence would have 'more impact for me' if it was heard in July, when the probation report is also set to be available to the court.
A Probation Service representative told the court the service was not aware a report was required for Thursday's hearing. Judge Owens accepted this was because a bench warrant for McGovern had been issued at the last brief hearing associated with the case in March.
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Photograph: Barry Cronin 'I suppose it's a hard job for a woman, but it's also a hard job for a man. Not only do you have to be strong physically, but you need to be strong mentally,' she says. The mental toll is 'a hard one to quantify because everybody is different', says acting district officer Colm Murphy. 'It does take a toll. It does add up. It is cumulative. But we have great staff support.' There is 'great psychological counselling support' in the form of the station's critical incident stress management system, Murphy says. But he also emphasises the importance of peer to peer support in the service. 'We've got the jokers, the messers, the person you can talk to quietly in the locker room: you've got a shoulder somewhere, and it's important that you acknowledge that,' he says. It is essential to start the conversation as soon as you leave a call-out, he says. 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'I have had back-to-back scenarios where an older person has passed away in the end stages of their life and the very next call a child born on the phone.' 'We see people in and we see people out,' says Reyner, summing up their role. Trevor Hunt, station officer, in the control room at Tara Street fire station in Dublin city centre. Photograph: Barry Cronin The calendar can dictate the pattern of call-outs for the fire brigade. Halloween is 'a two-month event starting from September', says Trevor Hunt. 'You also see more chimney fires in the winter obviously. In the summer there would be more rescue swimming operations and we also deal with mental health crises in the river Liffey,' he says. Beyond these events, there are 'no real trends that I can point to – it's just always busy'. On any given night, 20 per cent of callouts could be fire-related and 80 per cent involve paramedics being called out, Hunt says. He notes the sad statistic that most fire deaths in Ireland are older people, with the National Directorate for Fire and Emergency Management, a section of the Department of Housing, reporting that 59 per cent of people who died in a fire in 2019-2023 were over the age of 65. 'The majority of fire deaths in Ireland are over 50s. I suppose they might have older electronics – for example, electric blankets have to be replaced every 10 years,' says Hunt. 'But all kinds of electrical items can cause a fire: electric heaters, phone chargers, frayed cables, any electrical chargers really. A laptop charging on a duvet can overheat and cause a fire, for example.' Dublin Fire Brigade engine on a callout in Carrickmines, south Dublin. Photograph: Barry Cronin The National Transport Authority has banned escooters on public transit due to safety concerns associated with lithium-ion batteries. 'In terms of the escooters, the reputable brands wouldn't be fire starters. As long as something has the CE mark on it' – meaning that the device complies with European safety standards – 'you should be fine if charged correctly', he says. 'And never charge indoors,' he says. The fire brigade has identified other problems with these vehicles, however. A worrying issue is the growing number of people involved in escooter and electric bike incidents who were not wearing helmets or were just wearing bicycle helmets. Motorcycle helmets should be worn given the speed they can travel at on these vehicles. 'They are not going at bike or scooter speeds; they are going over 35km per hour and we are seeing a lot of traumatic head injuries as a result,' says David Hoban, a control room operator. Colm Murphy, Dublin Fire Brigade acting district officer, in Tara Street fire station. Photograph: Barry Cronin Mr Murphy says: 'Cars, escooters, and ebikes are travelling faster and faster and quieter and quieter and that's certainly creating an issue.' He describes these new forms of transport as 'toys essentially'. The speeds at which they travel means they are being used in petty crime more and more. This leads to 'more trauma, more heartbreak, more property and infrastructural damage where there's arson involved', says Murphy. Dublin Fire Brigade member Tony Ward. Photograph: Barry Cronin 'Is it a trend?' he asks. 'I'd hate to think that it's a trend that is going to increase but life and the city have changed.' Next in the 'One Night in Dublin' series: Conor Pope spends a night with bouncers at Copper Face Jacks – on Monday
