A 42-year-old Ennis man has appeared in court charged with criminal damage of a Catholic Church building when defecating on the floor of the St Peter and Paul Cathedral in Ennis earlier this month.
At Ennis District Court, Richard McDermott of no fixed abode pleaded guilty to the criminal damage of the church on Ennis's O’Connell Street on 12 November last.
McDermott has also pleaded guilty to a separate criminal damage charge to a cell at Ennis Garda Station on the same date when urinating in the cell.
In evidence, Sgt John Burke said that McDermott had to be manhandled by gardaí into the cell after his earlier arrest at the church.
Sgt Burke said that McDermott urinating in the cell rendered the cell inoperable and professional cleaners were required.
Sgt Burke said at the earlier church incident, McDermott verbally abused mass goers and a priest.
Judge Alec Gabbett remarked, "Mr McDermott is not a teddy bear, that’s for sure," and expressed sympathy for Ennis parish priest Fr Tom Ryan, who would have had to clean up the mess at the Ennis Cathedral.
Solicitor for McDermott, Tara Godfrey, asked Judge Gabbett "not to rush to judgment" in the case.
Ms Godfrey said: "My client has Irritable Bowel Syndrome and his bowels are loosened by certain difficulties. He was extremely drunk on the day."
She added: "For the majority of his life, Mr McDermott was in the care of the Brothers of Charity. If we had a different regime in this country to protect Mr McDermott we would not have his dignity compromised to the extent that it has been."
In response, Judge Gabbett said, "You are not talking about bringing back the asylums?"
In response, Ms Godfrey said: "I am not asking the court to bring back the asylums but there should be supported accommodation for someone like Mr McDermott."
She said: "His health has deteriorated considerably, and he had been in a 9am to 9pm accommodation situation and Mr McDermott had not got the capacity to cope, and his bed was given away."
Ms Godfrey said: "He is compromised intellectually and, in his ability to cope and he finds himself being sensationalised then in the public eye and public conscience for defecating on the floor of the cathedral in circumstances where Mr McDermott needs our compassion and our support."
Ms Godfrey said: "The shame and embarrassment is tremendous for Mr McDermott who doesn’t have a mother or a father to protect him in this world at this time and that is something that weighs on his spirit."
Ms Godfrey said that McDermott’s physical health has deteriorated, "and that is not to diminish the difficulties gardaí had to face on the day".
Judge Gabbett further remanded McDermott in custody for two weeks for a probation report for sentencing.
