SCREWED UP | 

Man (24) with 97 previous convictions caught with screwdriver said it was for protection

The accused had 97 previous convictions and was already serving a sentence for assault and robbery when he appeared in court.

Yesterday at 08:20

A young man caught with a screwdriver on him in central Dublin told gardaí he had it for his own protection.

Sean McCarthy (24) was jailed for six months but a judge made the sentence concurrent to a prison term he is already serving.

McCarthy, of no fixed address, pleaded guilty to unlawful possession of a weapon.

Garda Brian Kelly told Dublin District Court he was passing Abbey Cottages in the north part of the city on March 8 last year when he saw the accused in a laneway, acting suspiciously.

The garda found a screwdriver on him and McCarthy said he had it for his own protection.

The accused had 97 previous convictions and was already serving a sentence for assault and robbery when he appeared in court.

McCarthy was homeless and “struggling with a chaotic drug addiction” at the time of the offence, his solicitor said.

His large number of convictions were “testament to” his addiction. He had since detoxed, the defence said.

He asked Judge Bryan Smyth not to add to the accused’s current sentence.

The judge said a sentence was warranted but the six months are to run from the date of conviction.