Man bound over for two years in domestic case

A man was bound over to keep the peace for 24 months at a recent sitting of Mullingar District Court. Danny Cassidy, 2 Glenview, Castlepollard, had pleaded guilty to a charge of breaching a barring order against his father Sean on January 4 2008.Mr Cassidy's case had been adjourned several times to monitor his behaviour and during the interim period the court heard that he had come to no further adverse attention. Another charge under Section 2 of the Offences Against the Person Act was struck out.Garda John Daly told the court that he had been called to the Glenview address and Sean Cassidy who had made the application for the protection order had been visibly distressed when he arrived. Sean Cassidy told Garda Daly that his son Danny had come home drunk and had made threats to himself and his partner, breaching the protection order which had been issued on November 3 2007.Danny Cassidy's defence solicitor Ms Patricia Cronin said that Sean Cassidy was in "quite ill-health" and that matters had somewhat resolved themselves already in that her client had already returned to the family home. "All parties are living peacefully," she told Judge David Anderson.Garda Daly supported Ms Cronin's account and said that it appeared that Sean Cassidy's behavioural problems stemmed from his drinking."He is okay when he is sober, it is when he is drinking that problems arise," he said.""Mr Cassidy is not drinking at the moment," added Ms Cronin. "There were ongoing difficulties when alcohol had been consumed," she continued. "He is a full-time carer for his father and he would have consumed alcohol and then come on and then there would have been problems."Judge David Anderson said that there was no question of Mr Cassidy being given a custodial sentence and said that he would deal with the situation by means of a Peace Bond. He also directed that the defendant attend his doctor and fined him €300.