Michael Dunne, who caused €240 worth of damage to a statue of Luke Kelly in Dublin by throwing blue paint over it, has been sentenced to nine months in jail.
Dunne, 50, who was living in homeless accommodation at the time of the offense, pleaded guilty at the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to damaging the statue on July 12, 2020.
Dunne has 51 previous convictions dating back to 1986, including five convictions for criminal damage.
Judge Orla Crowe said Dunne had "caused a lot of upset to a lot of people" by damaging the statue of Luke Kelly on Sheriff Street, adding that Kelly was a "prominent character" in the local area.
Judge Crowe sentenced Dunne to 18 months in prison with the final nine months suspended subject to a number of strict conditions, according to RTÉ News.
She pointed to several aggravating factors, including Dunne's previous convictions and the fact that a bench warrant had been issued because he did not attend a previous sentencing hearing in December.
Dunne's solicitors told the court that he was unable to attend last month's hearing as he was in hospital at the time.
Judge Crowe said there were also mitigating factors, including Dunne's guilty plea, his expression of remorse, and his vulnerable history and personal circumstances.
At an earlier sentencing hearing, Garda David Kelly stated that he was able to identify Dunne by harvesting CCTV footage near the statue.
He said Dunne was subsequently arrested but that nothing came of the Garda interviews.
Garda Kelly agreed with defense counsel Katherine McGillicuddy BL that Dunne had expressed genuine remorse for the incident and accepted that the accused was a long-standing drug addict.
He also accepted that it was not Dunne's idea to damage the statue and that he agreed to throw the paint in return for drugs.
McGillicuddy, meanwhile, accepted that the statue was very important to the local community, additionally accepting that Kelly is an iconic figure.
She added that Dunne understood that he is actions caused "a lot of upset" and stated that Dunne's sister is heavily involved in the local community and was embarrassed to learn of her brother's involvement.
She said Dunne had a very difficult upbringing and that his life started to "unravel" at a very early age, adding that her client has significant mental health difficulties.
MacGillicuddy asked the court to show as much leniency to her client as possible.
Judge Crowe, however, said Dunne's actions had caused a lot of upset in the local community and that he must face the consequences of his actions.
The bust of Luke Kelly, created by artist Vera Klute, was unveiled in Dublin's Docklands area in January 2019 to coincide with the Irish singer-songwriter's 35th anniversary. The statue has been vandalized seven times since it was unveiled.
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