Man who brandished meat cleaver on Dublin bus remanded

A 44-year-old man arrested for drunkenly brandishing a meat cleaver on a Dublin bus was not threatening the driver, his solicitor has argued.

Robert Fogarty (44), from Cardy Rock Court, Balbriggan, in north Co Dublin, has been charged with possessing a meat cleaver as a weapon, being intoxicated in public and using a false bus pass at Atrium Road, Dublin Airport, on the night of January 27th.

Dublin District Court had been told he took out the meat cleaver when the bus driver refused to pull up for him at a “non stop”.

CCTV footage from the bus's security cameras was shown in court during a preliminary hearing. In the video evidence, he was shown staggering and holding a bottle of Jagermeister while he dropped meat and a phone out of a bag, said Garda Mark Reay.

Later in the footage the unemployed man was also seen holding the meat cleaver as he was talking to the driver, who was behind protective glass. Judge Cormac Dunne noted there was no audio in the footage and the exchanged between the bus driver and the accused could not be heard.

Defence solicitor John Feaheny argued his client was just "very drunk" and rummaging in his bag containing two kilos of fresh meat. He said no threat was made and he would be making an application to the State to withdraw the charge.

Judge Dunne also noted the driver was not in fear, and he accepted jurisdiction to deal with the case. This means the case is to stay in the jurisdiction of the district court and not sent to the Circuit Court which has wider sentencing powers.

The accused was remanded on continuing bail to appear again next month to enter a plea.