A judge, like, totally warned this dude who was having some serious paranoid delusions when he drove into gates at Leinster House and Aras An Uachtaráin last year that he’s gonna end up in the big house if he pulls that stunt again. David O’Callaghan, 41, from Bray, Co Wicklow, caused over €60,000 worth of damage after he crashed into the gates at Leinster House, Custom House, and Aras An Uachtaráin, Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard. O’Callaghan admitted to driving into the rear gates of Leinster House and two counts of criminal damage on August 2 last year. He told the cops that he thought his dad was messing with his food and room, so he decided to take matters into his own hands by smashing into the gates. He didn’t even wanna get inside, just wanted to cause some chaos. Turns out he’s been diagnosed with schizophrenia and is getting treatment. He’s got a bit of a record too, with 11 previous convictions for drugs and stuff. The judge, Martin Nolan, was like, “Alright buddy, you gotta listen to the Probation Service if you wanna stay outta jail.” He gave O’Callaghan a four-year sentence, but suspended it as long as he follows the rules for 21 months. The judge was all serious, saying, “You’re getting a second chance because of your issues, but if you mess up again, you’re going down, got it?”
This wild ride started when O’Callaghan drove a white van to Chesterfield Avenue, did a u-turn in front of Aras An Uachtaráin, reversed into the gates, and took off. The gates were out of commission for a while, costing nearly €5,000 to fix. Then he swung by the Customs House, hit the gates, backed up, then went for round two. He didn’t get through the first time, but managed to ram his way in the second go, causing about €2,000 in damage. Next stop was Leinster House, where he went on a gate-smashing spree, wrecking three sets of gates in under half an hour. The first gate had some anti-ram protection, so it held up a bit, but the second gate went flying. The van was pretty messed up too after a collision with the perimeter gate at the Department of the Taoiseach. O’Callaghan even got out of the van, looked like he was recording something, and had a sip of something. The total damage at Leinster House alone was over €52,000. He admitted to the cops that he hit up all three places and even confessed to boozin’ and snortin’ some coke earlier that night. He also fessed up to smashing into a car at Windsor Motors before heading to Aras An Uachtaráin, causing even more damage.
After his arrest, O’Callaghan spilled the beans about his delusions and how he felt all loopy. The cops weren’t too pleased and tried to keep him locked up, but he ended up in a psych facility for a bit before getting bail. His lawyer mentioned that he’s been emailing the President, not the Prime Minister or Housing Minister, just the big boss. O’Callaghan used to work in a kitchen but can’t afford to pay for all the damages he caused. His dad even wrote a letter to the court, outlining a treatment plan in case O’Callaghan goes off the rails again. The judge knew he needed some supervision, so he put him under the Probation Service’s watchful eye. The court didn’t wanna burden his dad or the psych services, so they went with the Probation Service instead. So, yeah, O’Callaghan better straighten up, or he’s gonna be in a world of trouble.
And that’s the story of how a dude with some serious issues went on a gate-smashing spree in Dublin. Let’s hope he sticks to the straight and narrow from now on, cause the judge ain’t playin’ around.
