A man who was charged with acting in a “threatening and verbally abusive” manner towards Gardaí was recently handed a suspended sentence.
Getachew Tela (40) of Apt 2, 12 Broad Street, Waterford, appeared at a sitting of Waterford District Court earlier this month before Judge John Cheatle, where he was charged with threatening behaviour in public, contrary to Section 6 of the Criminal Justice (Public Order) Act 1994. This related to an incident that occurred in March 2025.
Inspector Joe O’Neill said that on 31 March 2025, Gardaí arrested a man, who was identified as the accused, at Broad Street, Waterford, after he was found to be intoxicated and acting in a “threatening and verbally abusive” manner towards Garda members.
Inspector O’Neill added that the accused has six previous convictions, which were all public order matters.
Acting for the defendant, solicitor Ken Cunningham said that the accused has had issues with alcohol in the past, but has been moderating this since the incident occurred last year. He asked Judge Cheatle to consider dismissing the charge under Section 1 (2) of the Probation Act.
In response, Judge Cheatle said that he would not dismiss the charge, but would hand the accused a suspended sentence due to the fact that he acted in a threatening way towards Gardaí. The Judge handed the accused a three month sentence suspended for 12 months.
Funded by the Court Reporting Scheme
Robyn Power
