The Co Galway farmer jailed for soliciting two men to kill his wife, Pat Gillane, was bound over to the peace in Galway yesterday for attacking a Garda car with a baton.
Gillane (35) pleaded guilty at Galway Circuit Court to the criminal damage of the patrol car in Galway on May 7th, 1995, by striking its bonnet with a baton.
Sgt Seamus McDermott told the court that Gillane had been travelling in a car with his brother, Kevin Gillane, at 9.40 p.m. when they met the patrol car which was carrying two gardai involved in the investigation of the death of Philomena Gillane.
The Gillane car was being driven on the wrong side of the road with its lights flashing and was followed by the patrol car which had its siren on. When the Gillane car stopped, Pat Gillane got out and struck the bonnet of the patrol car with a wooden instrument, causing some £200 worth of damage to the body work.
The court heard that prior to this incident, Gillane had never come to the attention of gardai and that he had since been tried and sentenced on other offences.
Defence barrister Mr John O'Donnell said his client greatly regretted what had happened on that night and he did it out of anger at a bad time in his life. He wished to put it all behind him. Judge Joseph Matthews said Gillane had admitted his involvement in the incident, which had taken place three years ago, in a very forthright manner. Since then tragic events in his life had overtaken him but at the time he was a man with no previous convictions.
The judge said he intended to finish this chapter in Gillane's life and he asked him to enter into a bond to keep the peace for a year on his own surety of £100.
Kevin Gillane (40) was fined £700 by the same judge last week for the common assault of Garda William Beirne on the same occasion.