Suspended sentence for man who bit garda while on bail for criminal damage

A man who bit a garda, threw a fan at another garda and threatened to have a bullet put in her head while he was on bail for criminal damage has received a fully suspended sentence.

When Leon Travers (25) was arrested for an alleged public order offence in October 2018, he engaged in "aggressive" and threatening behaviour in a Garda station and while being treated in hospital.

Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard that in September 2017, Travers was involved in a fight which spilled into a service station, resulting in €365 of damage to the shop. He was on bail for this offence at the time of the incidents in 2018.

Travers, of Whitestown Drive, Mulhuddart, Dublin pleaded guilty to threatening to kill a garda at James Connolly Memorial hospital and assaulting a garda at Blanchardstown Garda station on October 29th and October 30th, 2018.

He also pleaded guilty to criminal damage at Applegreen Service Station, Clonsilla Road, Dublin, on September 1st, 2017. He has no previous convictions.

At a previous sentencing hearing, Judge Martin Nolan indicated he intended to impose 150 hours of community service in lieu of a six-month prison sentence for the October 2018 incident if Travers was deemed suitable by the Probation Service.

Passing sentence on Wednesday, Judge Nolan noted that Travers had been deemed unsuitable for community service. He said he had to decide whether or not Travers deserved a custodial sentence based on both incidents.

Judge Nolan sentenced Travers to nine months imprisonment each for the offences in September 2017 and October 2018. He ordered that they run consecutive to each other for a total sentence of 18 months imprisonment and suspended that sentence in its entirety.