Man jailed for destroying visitor's car
The criminal damage happened at a car park on Meagher's Quay in Waterford City.
A Slieverue man has been jailed for two years for the criminal damage of a car.
Christopher McDonald (30), of New Houses, Slieverue, Co Kilkenny, pleaded guilty to causing criminal damage on the night of October 27-28, 2022.
He destroyed a vehicle with a UK registration that was parked in the iPairc car park, on Meagher's Quay in Waterford City.
McDonald appeared before Judge Eugene O'Kelly at Waterford Circuit Court to be sentenced.
The court viewed CCTV footage from the night in question, with the owner of the vehicle driving into the carpark shortly after midnight.
Footage revealed McDonald throwing an object at the front windscreen of the car, and later returned to dance on the roof of the car.
The owner of the car recalled seeing McDonald in the carpark as he was leaving the car park, but the men had no interaction with one another.
The victim was visiting family in Waterford and had been living in the UK for a number of years. In the victim impact statement, he explained that he had recently bought the car after saving up for years.
When he discovered his destroyed vehicle the next morning, he called his UK insurers who made arrangements to bring the car from Ireland to the UK. The damage was valued at £8,070.
Unfortunately, the car was assessed to be internally damaged and had to be written off. The insurers offered the victim £6,000, half the value of the car, according to the victim.
"My insurance went from £500 to £1,800 through no fault of my own."
The impact of the damage affected his ability to work, as he drove a long commute to work.
It has also affected his plans to marry his fiancé in Waterford, as the offence has soured both his partner and his family's perception of Waterford.
He stated: "My mother blames herself, my fiancé's UK relatives are nervous to come to Waterford."
Defence counsel Garreth Hayden told Judge O'Neill that his client was deeply remorseful for his actions, and could not offer a reason as to why he behaved in the way he did.
Judge O'Kelly said: "He must have known that it sends out the completely wrong message if visitors' cars can be damaged in the town."
