Athlone man slashed tents at IPAS building site

A man who slashed seven tents at the IPAS building site in Athlone last year is due to reappear in court in April.

Colm Earl (54), with an address at The Orchard, Athlone, pleaded guilty to the criminal damage of the tents, which were not occupied at the time of the incident due to severe weather conditions.

The charge relates to an incident on January 24, 2025, at the IPAS Building Site, Ballymahon Road, Athlone and he was charged with damaging seven tents, valued at €26,000 each.

His reply, when charged, was, “sorry, I regret it deeply”.

A sitting of Athlone District Court heard that the initial valuation of the damage from Gardaí was in excess of €150,000, but repairs to the tents were possible at a cost of €3,500.

The tents were inflated and ready for use at the time but, due to a bad storm, nobody was in them. The repairs allowed the tents to be used as envisaged.

Judge Bernadette Owens accepted jurisdiction in the case and noted a medical letter, which outlined a number of stressors Mr Earl was dealing with at the time of the offence.

Tony McLynn, for the defence, said his client was in the company of a number of people who trespassed on the site and added that Mr Earl was in “a very poor state of mind” at the time.

“With all the commotion and hullabaloo and things people were saying about residents not being vetted, he trespassed on the site and, without any premeditation, picked up a piece of steel which had been blown down in the storm and, in a fit of frustration, used that to do the damage,” he said.

In light of the fact there was “some hysteria being whipped up” at the time, and “tension” regarding the “profile of people who might have been residents” in the centre, and noting the GP report furnished to the court, Judge Owens said she could see “why he was in that state of mind”.

She directed a probation report and remanded Mr Earl on continuing bail to April 8.