A man who was charged with criminal damage and being in possession of a knife was recently handed a prison sentence.
Filip Kovac (21) of McGwire House, Bath Street, Waterford, appeared in court before Judge Kevin Staunton recently, after being produced in court from Cork Prison.
He was charged with criminal damage, contrary to Section 2 (1) of the Criminal Damage Act, being in possession of a knife in public, contrary to Section 9 (1) & (7) of the Firearms & Offensive Weapons Act, as well as being intoxicated and engaging in abusive behaviour in public, contrary to Sections 4 & 6 of the Criminal Justice ( Public Order) Act, which all related to incidents that occurred in November 2025.
The accused previously appeared in court via video link on 6 January, when jurisdiction was accepted by Judge Staunton.
Sergeant John Phelan told the court that on 8 November, 2025, Gardaí were called to the Poleberry area of Waterford City after a man, who was identified as the accused, was reported to be in possession of a knife. Gardaí discovered the blade in the right pocket of the accused after searching him.
It was also outlined that on 14 November, the defendant allegedly caused €1,500 worth of damage at the Lidl store on the Tramore Road, Waterford, by kicking a door. The other two charges of public order offences were allegedly committed by the accused on 26 November, at Bath Street, Waterford.
Acting for the defendant, solicitor Ken Cunningham outlined that his client has been in custody since 9 December. He highlighted that the accused has struggled with a deterioration in his mental health and a substance misuse problem, and reiterated that he never intended to produce the knife.
Mr. Cunningham added that his client indicated an early guilty plea to all charges, and remains hopeful that he can “receive the help that he requires”.
It was noted in court that the accused has six previous convictions, which include knife and drug possession.
Judge Staunton said that it is “concerning” that this would be the accused’s third conviction for a knife possession offence, and that his previous convictions for these matters “clearly haven’t had an effect on his thinking”.
The Judge handed the accused a nine month sentence on the knife possession charge, which will be backdated to when he first went into custody in December 2025.
A concurrent nine month sentence for the criminal damage charge was also imposed by Judge Staunton. The public order charges were taken into consideration.
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