Judge warns Stanley Knife offender he could be jailed if he returns before court
A man who fled from gardaí before being found with a Stanley knife in his backpack has been fined €100 and warned by a judge that he could face jail if he comes before the courts again.
Diarmuid Aherne (45), of no fixed abode, had pleaded guilty to having a Stanley knife in his possession but not guilty to resisting a garda at Strand Terrace, Clonskeagh on May 9, 2025.
Garda Conor McCarthy told the court that he and his colleagues were making enquiries into a separate incident along the Dodder walkway at Strand Terrace at around 12:15am that day when a man suddenly jumped from the bushes and ran ahead along the path.
The garda, who was in plain clothes, said he repeatedly told the man to stop but he continued running for about 100 metres.
Gda McCarthy said Aherne then tried to hide in some more bushes along the walkway. When the garda caught up with him, he said the defendant pushed past him with both hands and tried to run off again.
Gda McCarthy said Aherne then resisted arrest and had to be brought to the ground, with pepper spray used before the suspect was detained.
Aherne was arrested and a Stanley knife was found in his backpack. He was then brought to Irishtown Garda Station.
Gda McCarthy said Aherne had no lawful reason for having the blade and that he obstructed the garda by pushing past him.
Defence counsel, Michael O’Brien BL, suggested that Aherne may not have properly understood or heard the directions to stop, as the garda was in plain clothes. Mr O’Brien submitted that his client may not initially have appreciated what was happening or why he was being stopped.
Giving evidence directly to the court, Aherne said he made a split-second decision to run when he saw lights approaching. He said he did not know who was chasing him at first and had hidden under a bush.
He told Judge Anne Watkin that he came out when he realised it was gardaí in pursuit and said he effectively handed himself in once he understood who was present.
Judge Watkin said that Aherne had “no business going around with a knife in his possession”.
The court heard that Aherne has two previous convictions, including one for possession of a knife and one for failing to appear before a court.
In relation to the charge of resisting a garda, Judge Watkin said she was satisfied the accused may not initially have realised the person pursuing him was a garda, as the officer was in plain clothes, and that he ran when he saw lights approaching.
However, she said gardaí had a legitimate basis to stop and question Aherne and were entitled to act quickly in circumstances where they did not know how he might behave when he fled and attempted to conceal himself.
Judge Watkin fined Aherne €100 for having the Stanley knife in his possession, with three months to pay.
On the charge of resisting a garda, she placed him on a one-year peace bond.
“He knows he is not supposed to carry knives and he did it anyway,” the judge said.
Judge Watkin also warned Aherne: “If you do it again, I can send you to jail”.
Funded by the Courts Reporting Scheme
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