By Andrew Carey
THE brother of a Limerick manslaughter victim “exposed people to the risk of death” when he threw a lifebuoy into the River Shannon.
“Lifebuoys are in place to save lives and not for the amusement of people who are drunk”, Judge Eugene O’Kelly told Trevor Ryan (36), of Farran Villas, Faranshone after he pleaded guilty to taking the lifebuoy from O’Callaghan Strand on June 12 last.
Sgt Donal Cronin said a number of witnesses saw the defendant take the buoy from its holder and throw it into the river. When Gardaí arrived at the scene shortly after 9:40pm they found him “unsteady on his feet and intoxicated”.
Trevor Ryan had 105 previous convictions, most of which occurred after the his brother’s death in 2006, and involved public order offences and the theft of alcohol.
The defendant was also before the court on breaches of public order on August 13 at Fine Wines off-licence in Thomondgate where he was abusive to staff. On May 25 last, he took a case of beer from the same premises having been asked to leave because he was drunk. He was also charged with breaches of the public order act.
On September 16, he was arrested for being drunk and abusive in the back of the taxi and not paying a €5 fare.
A bench warrant was issued when he failed to turn up for previous hearings and Judge O’Kelly was told that a suspended prison sentence handed down last October had not been activated.
Defence solicitor, John Devane said his client was a chronic alcoholic who fell at the first step each time he tried to rehabilitate. He hadn’t got over the death of his brother and the violent manner in which his life ended.
“He is blighted by the disease of alcoholism that has taken him over and the nightmare of his brother’s death”.
He added that he didn’t let go of the line attached to the lifebuoy when he threw it in the river.
Despite the trauma caused by his brother’s death, Judge O’Kelly said he had no business interfering with the lifebuoy and exposing other people “to the risk of death”.
“It’s about time your client dealt with his demons. If he continues acting like this he will spend the rest of his life going in and out of prison”, he told Mr Devane.
Activating the suspended sentence imposed last October, Judge O’Kelly also imposed an additional five months in prison for the theft of the lifebuoy. A two month sentence for the theft of the beer from the off-licence was suspended for 12 months.
