'Belligerent' boozer kicked out at gardai as they broke up Covid lockdown party

Jordy Bakeba (20) had booked an Airbnb at the height of the pandemic restrictions and told gardaí they had "no authority" to move him on when they tried to disperse a crowd nearby.

Bakeba kicked a phone out of a garda's hand and said "f**k the garda" as he was arrested. Judge Treasa Kelly fined him €150 at Dublin District Court.

Bakeba, of Woodland Avenue, Mosney, Co Meath, pleaded not guilty to threatening, abusive and insulting behaviour, obstructing gardaí and failing to follow their directions.

Garda Conor McShane said he was on patrol as part of the public order unit after midnight on July 2 when he was called to a reported house party at Portobello Harbour, Rathmines.

A large group of men had gathered outside a house and gardaí proceeded to control and disperse them.

Bakeba became "belligerent and abusive" to the officers, refusing to leave.

He was told to desist from his aggressive behaviour but shouted at them, "arrest me, arrest me".

He used expletives, saying "f**k the garda" and "f**k off".

When told that if he stopped there would be no need to arrest him, Bakeba began to push violently through the gardaí.

He was arrested and violently kicked out at Garda Darragh Frewen, knocking his mobile phone from his hand.

The accused had to be restrained on the ground and placed in handcuffs.

Gda Frewen said Bakeba was highly aggressive and confrontational and became extremely irate when asked to move on.

He began to clench his fists and put out his chest in an aggressive manner.

"He told gardaí to f**k off and that they had no authority to tell him to move on from the area, and proceeded to demand to be arrested," Gda Frewen said.

Bakeba became extremely violent, lashing out and kicking out at gardaí. He "displayed a very poor attitude to the gardaí", Gda Frewen said.

Defence solicitor Mervyn Harnett said Bakeba came to Ireland as a refugee from the Congo and grew up in a "very different society".

Judge Kelly said: "It was a different society for all of us before Covid."