A man yesterday gave a court more details of how he survived a fall from the fourth storey of an apartment block in Bulgaria
Edward Hutch (30), Portland Place, Dublin, said he was only alive because he landed on the flat roof of a building below the family-owned apartment in August last year.
Earlier this year, he told a judge he had been unable to attend court to give evidence in a case against his brother because of the injuries he had suffered as a result of the fall.
He told the court then he had suffered serious spinal and pelvic injuries as a result of the 21-metre fall from the fourth-floor apartment.
In Dublin District Court yesterday, when he pleaded guilty to a number of theft and driving charges, he asked not to be sent to prison because of his injuries and because he was taking serious steps to deal with a drug addiction.
Judge Mary Collins asked if he had fallen from the balcony because he was "out of his head".
He replied that it was a very small balcony and he was trying to take a pair of jeans off it when the accident happened.
"My mother asked me to get her jeans [ off the balcony] and I slipped and fell. Luckily it was a flat roof I landed on or I would be dead."
He also asked that any sentence be adjourned so that he could get a place in the drug court.
"I don't want to go back to prison. I am getting old, it's time to cop on to myself," he added.
He also needed to wait until Saturday until his mother came back from holidays so that she could take over assisting another disabled brother whom he helps shave and shower each day.
Judge Collins said the family "seemed to be great holiday-goers".
The judge noted that most of his crimes, including the theft of a word processor which he threw into the Royal Canal when gardaí approached, were committed while he was on bail.
Judge Collins said she was prepared to allow time to see if he was suitable for the drug court and she referred him to it immediately.
However, she warned that if he was found unsuitable, a 12-month prison sentence would be imposed.