‘ABSOLUTELY APPALLING’ | 

Drunken man who removed car clamp squared up to garda and called him ‘a f**king b*llocks’

The judge fined Niedra €700, disqualified him from driving for five years and imposed a three-month sentence.

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A drunken car owner removed a clamp from his vehicle and then squared up to a garda when he spoke to him, calling the officer “a f**king b*llocks”, a court heard.

Janis Niedra (45) was sitting in the front seat of his car and drinking alcohol when gardaí were called to an apartment complex in west Dublin.

Judge David McHugh said father-of-two Niedra’s behaviour was “absolutely appalling”.

The judge said that if Niedra had driven in the state he was in, who knows what might have happened, both to him and other road users.

The judge fined Niedra €700, disqualified him from driving for five years and imposed a three-month sentence.

The defendant, with an address at Charter House, Maynooth, Co Kildare, admitted to driving without insurance, being drunk in charge of a vehicle and threatening and abusive behaviour at Juliet Square, St Edmund’s Park, Lucan, on May 5, 2022.

Garda Eoin Kelly told Blanchardstown District Court that gardaí were called to the scene at around 9.30pm following reports that a man was trying to remove a clamp from his car.

Gda Kelly said Niedra was sitting in the front seat of his vehicle and drinking from a can.

He had removed the clamp from the car.

Gda Kelly said he spoke to Niedra, who squared up to him and resisted arrest.

Niedra also called the garda “a f**king b*llocks”, the court heard.

Gda Kelly said Niedra was arrested and taken to Ronanstown Garda Station, where he provided a specimen to gardaí.

It gave a reading of 27mgs of alcohol per 100mls of urine.

The court heard that Niedra had a number of previous convictions, including four previous for uninsured driving. He received a disqualification for uninsured driving earlier this year.

Defence solicitor Valerie Buckley said Niedra was originally from Latvia but had lived in Ireland for over 20 years.

The solicitor said that Niedra had two children and was holding down a good job in the construction sector.

Ms Buckley accepted the defendant had a bad history, but she asked the judge to be lenient, saying Niedra was now free of alcohol, and he was focused on keeping his job and supporting his family.

Ms Buckley said Niedra realised his behaviour was unacceptable, but this incident happened over a year ago, and Niedra was no longer drinking, and was off the road and had no intention of getting behind the wheel of a car in the near future.