An asylum-seeker arrested when he could not supply gardaí with identification as he was rushing to hospital with a baby in his arms was sentenced to two months' imprisonment yesterday.
Jay Ugi Imagbe (30), a Nigerian asylum- seeker living in Clonsilla, Dublin, tried to get into a taxi to continue his journey to the hospital with his 21-month-old child, but was arrested by gardaí, charged with obstruction and spent two days in custody.
Yesterday, Judge John Coughlan sentenced him to two months after he pleaded guilty to charges arising out of the incident. The judge said: "People who are guests in Ireland should not be obstructing or causing hassle to gardaí and his friends should be told that as well."
Dublin District Court heard Imagbe was stopped driving a car at Dame Street on September 25th last at 7.50 p.m. He refused to give his name and address, had no identity card and tried to get into a taxi as he held on to the child. Garda Alan Dowling said he was "very obstructive". He spent two days in custody before he was released on bail.
His solicitor, Mr Murrough O'Rourke, said he had left home in a hurry and forgot to bring any identification with him. "He was very anxious to get to hospital with his sick child and had forgotten to bring identification."
He was a newspaper vendor in Nigeria with refugee status at present but hoping to obtain residency on the basis that he had two Irish children. He had no previous convictions.
His local cleric, the Rev Sandra Pragnel, told the court that he made a mistake that night on Dame Street. "He and his family are extremely devout Christian people who want to get on with their lives," she said.
Judge Coughlan, who asked the minister what country she was from before passing sentence, ordered that two other charges, of failing to provide identification as an alien and refusing to give a name and address, be taken into account.
He fixed independent bail for the purpose of appeal at €200.