A "soft-talking" Rahoon man's luck ran out when Judge Mary Fahy sentenced him to three months in prison at Galway District Court this week after he failed to pay compensation for damaging a car in the city last year in spite of being given several chances to come up with the money.

Tom Ward, 32 Corrach Buí, Rahoon, Galway, first appeared before the court last November when he pleaded guilty to causing €374 worth of damage to the rear window of a car parked outside a house at Carn Ard, Circular Road, Galway, on 26 July last year.

He promised to pay for the damage if given time and Judge Mary Fahy adjourned the matter to last December to give him time to come up with the money. However, when he appeared before the December court Ward admitted not having any money with him.

Judge Fahy said Ward had promised her faithfully in November that he would pay for the damage and he was full of 'soft talk' at the time. Ward promised the Judge in December that he would definitely have the money within two days but she didn't believe him. She adjourned the matter to January. At the time Judge Fahy warned Ward that she would not take any more "soft talk" from him and he was to have the money in court in January. However, when the January court arrived, Ward had no money to hand over and the matter was adjourned for one final time to yesterday's court.

Judge Fahy said she had warned Ward, who was not present in court this week, that if he didn't pay for the damage she would be dealing with the charge in a certain way.

Defence solicitor, Valerie Corcoran, said she had written to Ward but he had made no contact with her.

Imposing a three-month prison sentence for the criminal damage charge, Judge Fahy said Ward had been given every chance and he had just ignored the court. Leave to appeal the sentence was granted.

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