A 29-year-old man has been jailed for 10 months for cutting the throat of an in-lamb ewe near Killarney.
Richard Daroczi, of no fixed abode, but previously of 15 Ely O’Carroll Place, Nenagh, Co Tipperary appeared before Judge Ronan Munro for sentencing.
The Hungarian national had previously pleaded guilty to four charges in relation to the incident at Cummeenabrick, Clonkeen on January 5th.
These included two counts of causing unnecessary suffering to an animal under the Animal Health and Welfare Act; theft of €20 worth of fuel from O’Briens in Glenflesk; and theft of a sheep in lamb worth €500.
Tralee Circuit Court heard evidence from Sergeant Nigel Shevlin, while a victim impact statement was read to the court from farmer and sheep owner, Con O’Riordan.
It outlined that he arrived at the scene and found Richard Daroczi who had a knife, was in possession of the sheep, and the animals neck was cut.
The court heard that the accused had butchered the sheep and intended to sell it for financial gain.
Barrister for the defendant, Katie O’Connell, told the judge that Mr Daroczi, who has lived in Ireland for 16 years, was under a drug haze at the time.
Her client had claimed he owned the sheep, however, has since backed down from this statement and pled guilty.
In his ruling, Judge Ronan Munro outlined that this was a bizzare case and referenced Mr O’Riordan arriving to a shocking scene of sheer barbarity, where his ewe’s neck was cut and blood was spilled across the snow.
He added it was not humane and there was an element of an attack on Mr Riordan’s livelihood.
The judge sentenced Mr Daroczi to six months for each animal cruelty charge, and to 12 months for the theft of the sheep, with these sentences to run consecutively.
Given the early plea, he reduced the theft sentence to 10 months and suspended the final six months of the sentence subject to conditions.
These include to be of good behaviour and keep the peace for three years, and to stay out of Kenmare, Kilgarvan and the townland of Cummeenabrick.
The sentence was backdated to January 25th.
