Alcohol addiction
A man from Dublin has pleaded guilty to abusive behavior toward a police officer and threatening to smash up a bookmaker’s.
threatening to break a supermarket employee’s legs
On November 21, 2022, Stephen Conroy, who was drunk, is alleged to have said to the officer that he was a trained boxer and that he would “knock him out” after threatening to break a supermarket employee’s legs. According to his defense team, Conroy suffered from alcohol addiction and was “very deep” into it.
Appearing in Dublin District Court, Conroy was fined €400 ($420).
What happened
According to Garda Sergeant Michelle Lynch, police were called to a Tesco Express where they found Conroy intoxicated and being abusive toward them.
When approached, he refused to give his details, including his name and where he lived. When he did, Conroy is said to have sworn at police and tried to push them away. A staff member claimed that Conroy said he would “break his legs.”
A few weeks later, on December 15, Conroy threatened police when they approached him in a “highly intoxicated” state.
He threatened the garda he would knock him out, that he was a trained boxer.”
According to Sergeant Lynch: “He said he would smash up Paddy Powers because he wanted his money back. He threatened the garda he would knock him out, that he was a trained boxer.”
His defense claimed that at the time of the incidents, over a six-month period, Conroy had suffered family bereavements and had left the family home. As a result, he had used alcohol as a way of escaping.
Conroy has since cleaned himself up and detoxed and apologized for his behavior.