A man who threatened his wife that he would burn her house down will have to do an anger-management course to avoid a three-month jail sentence.
A lawyer representing Ned Connors told Judge David McHugh that her client was a single man. However, Mr Connors interrupted the barrister and said: "I'm married".
Mr Connors (27), Kilbogget Grove, Cabinteely, pleaded guilty to engaging in threatening and abusive behaviour at Swiftbrook Park, Tallaght, Dublin, on August 24th, 2007.
Sgt Bernard Jones told the court that gardaí had responded to a call from a woman in Swiftbrook Park complaining about Connors at 5am
Sgt Jones said Connors had threatened his wife and threatened to burn her house down.
When gardaí arrived, Mr Connors had continued to act aggressively and would not calm down.
Sgt Jones said Connors had 15 previous convictions including a four-month jail sentence from Bray District Court on January 5th, 2007, for two counts of assault. At Dún Laoghaire District Court on January 26th, 2007, he had been bound to keep the peace for 12 months for driving a stolen car, breaching the peace, failing to comply with a garda's directions, three counts of breaching the peace, three counts of public drunkenness and three counts of failing to comply with a garda.
Connors's counsel said her client accepted that he was under the probation bond when he committed the offence before the court.
Judge McHugh said: "Why should he not go to prison now? While he was under probation, he has been convicted of breaching the peace."
The barrister asked the judge not to send her client to prison.
Judge McHugh said: "He has an anger-management problem. I will give him an opportunity to avoid a jail sentence if he does an anger-management course.
"An anger-management course is what you need and what you need seriously."
He remanded Connors for two months for a community service report of 100 hours with three months in jail in default.