A 48-year-old man was sentenced to two months in prison at Cork District Court after pleading guilty to public order charges including the racial abuse of a Garda who was attempting to assist him on a Cork City street.

The court heard that Neil Bowdren, of the Cork Simon Community, admitted to several public order offences arising from drunken incidents across the city. Outlining the main charge, Sergeant Gearóid Davis testified that Gardaí on beat patrol discovered Bowdren unconscious on a footpath on Oliver Plunkett Street. When roused, Bowdren exhibited slurred speech and severe intoxication before becoming verbally abusive towards an officer in front of passers-by and directing racial slurs at him.

Sentencing the defendant, Judge David Waters stated that individuals working in the service of the State should not be subjected to such verbal attacks. The judge noted that Bowdren might have avoided a custodial sentence were it not for the fact that the comment was racially motivated. A two-month prison sentence was imposed for that offence, with several other public order matters taken into consideration.

Defence solicitor Frank Buttimer stated that his client expressed remorse for his actions and described him as cooperative when sober. Addressing the court directly, Bowdren stated that he felt embarrassed upon hearing the details of his behaviour. The court was informed that Bowdren has 203 previous convictions, including multiple prior convictions for public intoxication and threatening or abusive behaviour.