Waterford man ordered to pay €2,000 for incident that 'sounded like complete carnage'
Waterford Courthouse
A judge at Waterford District Court has ordered a man to pay €2,000 in compensation for an incident that “sounded like complete carnage.”
Jack Walsh (26) of Bawnfune, Butlerstown, Waterford was before Waterford District Court in relation to an incident where the defendant entered a home at The Glen and damaged a number of items in the kitchen.
Sergeant John Phelan told the court that on January 1, 2025, at around 8:19pm, gardaí responded to a report of a male entering a property at The Glen.
When they arrived, the injured party was there and the door was open.
The court heard that the kitchen was “wrecked” with a table upended, an oven smashed and a houseplant torn up.
The defendant, who has no previous convictions, was identified by the injured party and arrested by gardaí.
Acting for the defendant, solicitor Hilary Delahunty said that there was more to the incident than it seemed, though he would not give the details in open court.
He said his client knew the injured party and while he went to the house, it wasn’t for a fight.
Nevertheless, “it didn’t go that way.”
Mr Delahunty said his client was a student and had raised the cost of the damage, €350, in compensation.
Judge Kevin Staunton said he read the Victim Impact Statement, and he noted the damage was valued at €350, but the incident “sounded like complete carnage.”
Mr Delahunty disagreed with that assessment and said it was only a small kitchen area, and very little was broken.
He said his client is not working and would like to avoid a conviction, as there was “no real badness” in his actions.
He asked that the matter be put back 12 months to give his client the opportunity to show he would not come to garda attention again.
Judge Staunton said that he would do that, but he was increasing the amount of compensation.
The judge said it seemed to him that the incident for the injured party was “traumatic, whether the Mr Walsh agrees or disagrees.”
He ordered the defendant to pay €2,000 in compensation, and if the defendant does so within 12 months, the matter will be struck out.
