A Judge in Derry told a 19-year-old repeat offender given her ‘absolute last chance’, who drunkenly breached her bail one day later, ‘I’m not going to make an idiot of myself by going back on it.'
Brigid Mongan of Francis Street appeared before Derry Magistrates Court for breaching bail and a new offence of threats to kill which is alleged to have taken place on May 8, 2018.
The court heard that police were called to Upper Galliagh Road at 7.20am on Tuesday morning after reports of an ongoing disturbance.
Mongan was then located on the Rock Road and asked to carry out a breath test by police as part of her bail conditions were not to drink alcohol. She blew a reading 100mg of alcohol per 100ml of breath, which would be almost three times the drink drive limit.
Police also received a call from a social worker who said that one of the young people in her care had been receiving threatening messages from Mongan who had threatened to ‘kill her’, ‘batter her’ and ‘murder her’.
The youth being threatened did not wish to make a statement to police, however, the social worker did.
When Mongan was spoken to about this by police, she said that she had been drinking and didn’t remember doing it but that it must have been her because no one else had access to her phone or
Facebook account.
However, she said she had no intentions of carrying the threats out.
A police officer in court said that this incident happened just one day after Mongan had been dealt with in court on other matters and given a final chance.
The officer said: “This happened the day after she left court; her bail history is an absolute disgrace, she’s been in this court more than I have in the past two months.
“We cannot stop her drinking and we weren’t aware that she had just been charged with other offences or she would have been remanded.
“She lasted one day after getting a serious warning what would happen next.”
Kevin Casey, defence solicitor, said that when Mongan had received a deferred sentence she had been warned by the Judge, the staff at Francis Street and by himself that she would face jail if she re-offended.
However, he said she ‘went on a bender’ which resulted in the breach and further offence. He added that there was a ‘backwards and forwards’ exchange between Mongan and the other girl, who is ‘well known to police’ and ‘gave as good as she got’.
Mr Casey said that Mongan had said: “I wouldn’t murder anybody; it’s the kind of thing you say when you’re drinking and you’re angry.”
He said that Mongan has ‘a considerable issue with alcohol’.
District Judge Barney McElholm said: “This is once too often; I told her it really was her last chance and it was with no little degree of trepidation that I was giving her that chance.
“But she heaved a sigh of relief and skipped down Bishop Street and promptly started re-offending.
“What am I supposed to do?
“When I say it’s her absolute last chance I’m not going to make an idiot out of myself by going back on it.”
Bail was refused. Judge McElholm added: “Her behaviour on bail has been deplorable, she constantly breaches bail and you just could not trust her to abide by any conditions. If she is convicted, she will be going to prison and all matters that were formally deferred will be brought forward.”
Mongan is due to appear back before the court again via video link from prison on June 21.
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