A middle-aged man was put in fear by a man who approached him as soon as he stepped out of a shop in the Cobh area and made a demand with menaces for the payment of his son’s drug debt. In making this demand with menaces, the defendant made specific reference to the man’s other children by name, Det. Mr O’Dwyer said the defendant had written a letter of apology. “At the time of the offence he would have been in a manic state as a result of the abuse of alcohol and drugs,” Mr O’Dwyer said. Mr O’Dwyer said this had a sobering effect on him and that he wanted to turn his life around.

Source: Irish Examiner February 13, 2026 06:25 UTC