Homeless man declares himself a ’sovereign citizen of Éire’ and refuses to move

A HOMELESS man asked by Gardaí to stop begging in Limerick City said that he was "a sovereign citizen of Eire, there’s no f**king...

A HOMELESS man asked by Gardaí to stop begging in Limerick City said that he was “a sovereign citizen of Eire, there’s no f**king way I will move”.

34-year-old Jonathan Kelly with an address at Oaklodge Emergency Accommodation on Clare Street appeared before Limerick District Court charged with a number of offences including theft and public order incidents.

Sergeant Denis Waters told the court that Mr Kelly was seen begging on Denmark Street on May 2 of this year.

When approached by Gardaí to move on, he called the guard a “dirtbird” and refused to move on. He was subsequently arrested and brought to Henry Street Garda Station.

The following day, on May 3, he was seen on Thomas Street, “roaring and shouting” at members of the public, exclaiming “f**k ye, I’ll bate ye”, the court heard.

Later that same month, on May 22, he entered the off-licence in Dunnes Stores on the Childers Road, and put bottles of whiskey to the value of €130 into a backpack.

He left the store without paying for the items, and the goods were not recovered.

Mr Kelly has 121 previous convictions including theft, public order, criminal damage, failure to appear and misuse of drugs.

The accused’s solicitor said his client was a “bright young man” but is addicted to alcohol.

“He has had long periods of sobriety, but it has since come back to haunt him”, the court heard.

He noted that Mr Kelly has gone through major life changes including the death of his mother, who was a source of support and accommodation for him.

He also lost his sister, who he “was very close to”, at the beginning of the year and lost his brother in a tragic incident a number of years ago, the court was told.

His relationship with his partner, who he has two children with, had also broken down in recent times.

In March this year, he received a three-month prison sentence for public order, and a separate eight-week sentence to run consecutively, followed by a three-week prison sentence for theft offences.

A six-week sentence suspended for 18 months was also imposed on Mr Kelly for misuse of drugs.

He previously served an 18-month sentence in 2021 for public order, that case was heard in Limerick Circuit Court.

Judge Valerie Corcoran said that, under the circumstances, “a custodial sentence was necessary”.

Due to the fact that Mr Kelly was out on bail on these charges, any sentence imposed could not be backdated.

Judge Corcoran sympathised with the accused on the loss of his mother, brother, and sister and said the court is willing to support him with his issues.

Mr Kelly was sentenced to three months in prison for the public order and theft offences to run concurrently.