A man who threatened to slash his elderly mother’s face and then threatened to kill his brother and put him in a box has been jailed for a year.
Patrick McLaughlin was brought before Letterkenny District Court in Co Donegal charged with a range of offences.
All the incidents revolved around the 57-year-old’s abuse of alcohol over a period a time.
Judge Ciaran Liddy was told that all the incidents happened at the McLaughlin family home at Meenacung in Gaoth Dobhair.
On June 11th, 2002, he came to his mother’s home and threatened to slice his mother’s face.
When his brother James heard the threat he stepped in but was punched in the face by Patrick and when he hit back at Patrick, the accused threaten to “put him in a box.”
Just a week later on July 20th, 2022, McLaughlin again called to his mother’s home to get some belongings including clothing despite being told to stay away from the house as part of his bail conditions from an earlier incident.
On that occasion he threatened to knife his brother James.
On June 16th, 2023, McLaughlin again called to his family home under the influence of alcohol and threatened to kill both his mother and his brother.
Garda Sergeant Gerard Dalton said the accused was aggressive and was yelling and making threats.
Both his mother and brother were in a state of fear as a result of McLaughlin’s actions and he was arrested.
On two other occasions at Lower Main Street in Letterkenny and at the Letterkenny Shopping Centre, McLaughlin was found to be drunk and was arrested for his own safety.
Solicitor for the accused, Mr Patsy Gallagher, said his client suffered from alcohol addiction and was also taking both prescription and non-prescription medication.
However, he also pointed out that McLaughlin had himself been the victim of a one-punch attack in 2013 during which he hit his head.
He suffers from memory loss and Mr Gallagher also handed a cognitive report on McLaughlin to the court.
HIs solicitor said “He uses a book to know where he is. He has certified difficulties due to the assault. Along with medication and mixed with alcohol, it causes him substantial difficulty.”
Mr Gallagher said his client had been living in a half-way house.
Judge requested some time to read two medical reports handed into court on McLaughlin by Mr Gallagher.
On his return Judge Liddy noted that the accused man’s elderly mother was in court but said this was a domestic violence situation.
He counted out the number of assaults and threats made by McLaughlin against his family and said they were “trapped in a household of domestic violence.”
The Judge said “Mrs McLaughlin is here in court and it must be very difficult to see her son here and she is expressing her support for him and I sympathise with her.
“These incidents are extremely serious and they must be dealt with accordingly.”
He sentenced the accused to 12 months in prison for assaulting his brother James at the family home on June 11th last year and also jailed him for another 12 months for making threats to kill or cause serious harm on the same date but suspended that sentence for two years.
All other charges were taken into account.
He also ordered McLaughlin to abstain from alcohol and drugs and to attend for substance abuse counselling and also to attend for anger management.
The accused man’s solicitor also requested that follow-up release assistance be provided to McLaughlin and this was directed by Judge Liddy.