Six months for driver who threatened to kill gardaí while on bail

A disqualified driver who threatened three gardaí and refused to be breathalysed while on bail for a dangerous driving causing death charge has been given a six-month jail term.

Desmond Collopy (32), who has 196 previous convictions, was jailed for six and a half years in July 2015 after pleading guilty to dangerous driving causing the death of Eamon Cronin (50), in Swords on August 16th, 2014. He will serve the six months consecutive to his current term.

Collopy made the threats after gardaí, who had spotted him driving erratically, arrested him.

Collopy, of Liffey Crescent, Lucan, Co Dublin pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to failing to give a specimen of breath and making a threat to kill or cause serious harm to gardaí at Ballymun and Store Street Garda stations on April 5th, 2015.

Very serious threats

Judge Patricia Ryan said Collopy had made very serious threats to gardaí acting in the course of their duty. She noted in mitigation his guilty plea, remorse and efforts at rehabilitation.

She took into account that Collopy has already been in custody since 2015 and that the Director of Public Prosecutions had consented to summary disposal of the threat charges, but jurisdiction had been refused in the District Court.

Judge Ryan imposed sentences totalling six months to be served consecutive to his current term.

Garda Michael McCallion told Garrett Baker BL, prosecuting, that he and a colleague were on mobile patrol in the Ballymun area when they noticed a car driving in an erratic manner.

They signalled the car to stop at about 2.32am and noticed Collopy was slurring his speech and there was “a strong smell of intoxicating liquor”. Collopy, who began acting in an aggressive manner, told gardaí he had not been drinking and that they could not prove anything.

Collopy was arrested and brought to Ballymun Garda station, where it was found the “intoxilator” machine was not working. A decision was made to transfer him to Store Street. He became aggressive and was placed in a cage in the rear of a Garda van for the transfer.

At Store Street Garda station he obstructed gardaí attempting to search him and began making threats. “I will find out where you live and kill you,” Collopy told gardaí, “I will kill you, I won’t be locked up forever.”

Collopy continued to tell gardaí he would “kill them all” during an observation period in a cell and had to be restrained after squaring up to them aggressively. He refused to provide a breath sample.

He told gardaí: “Watch yourself, I will do six months on this.”

Garda McCallion said that in his 12 years as a garda he had not come across anyone as threatening or as aggressive as Collopy had been during the incidents.

Garda McCallion agreed with Padraig Dwyer SC, defending, that there had been no lasting effects on gardaí involved.

Collopy’s 196 previous convictions include 11 for threatening or abusive behaviour, two for violent disorder, five for driving while intoxicated, and more than 50 other road traffic offences.

Instructed to apologise

Mr Dwyer said he had been instructed to apologise and asked the court to accept Collopy was genuinely sorry. He said Collopy wanted to turn over a new leaf and leave criminality behind.

He submitted that the impact on the victims had not been long-lasting and that the offences, while serious, were at the lower end of the scale. He asked the court not to extend his client’s detention.

The court heard from Collopy’s current partner of five years, who said he had been attending rehab and school while in custody. She said she would remain with Collopy only if he remained out of trouble and off drink.