A 51-YEAR-OLD BUSINESSMAN who pleaded guilty to causing an obstruction by climbing on top of an oil tanker at Whitegate Refinery in Co Cork during the fuel protests has received a two-month suspended sentence and a fine of €1,500.

Midleton District Court heard that Ivor Sweeney spent an hour and 15 minutes on top of a tanker on 10 April last.

Defence solicitor Wayne O’Sullivan said that Sweeney, of Coolbawn Lodge, Ballick Road in Midleton was remorseful for his actions.

Sweeney pleaded guilty that on 10 April last at Main Street in Whitegate he allowed a mechanically propelled vehicle to remain in place so long as to cause or was likely to cause the traffic through such a place to be obstructed.

The offence was contrary to Section 98 of the Road Traffic Act 1961 and Section 102 of the Road Traffic Act 1961 as amended by the Road Traffic Act 2006.

Court presenter Sgt Majella O’Sullivan said that gardaí were in attendance at a blockade of Whitegate Refinery on 10 April last.

Sgt O’Sullivan said that two trained garda negotiators were called in to deal with the situation.

She indicated that Sweeney climbed on top of the tanker to cause a traffic obstruction.

She said that Sweeney failed to alight from the vehicle. Furthermore, she described the offence as being at the most “serious end of the scale.”

The Sergeant said that it was an “extraordinary, emergency event”.

Mr Sweeney, who has no previous convictions, was arrested at 5.05pm on 10 April.

Mr O’Sullivan said that his client was at the protest with his “neighbours, friends and colleagues” and that there were “hundreds” of people in attendance.

Judge Colm Roberts said that the protest started off as “people venting concerns” and then “turned in to something else.”

Judge Roberts said that Sweeney failed to comply with the directions given by An Garda Síochána.

He said that it was hard to understand how a man in his 50s who was without previous convictions could go from being a “peaceful protestor to a criminal offender,”

He said that he wasn’t going down the line of “minimising” what had occurred.

Mr O’Sullivan said that his client wanted to thank gardaí for their kindness to him as he developed hypothermia from being on top of the truck for an hour and 15 minutes.

He made an appeal for leniency in the case and said that his client travelled internationally with his IT work. He added that his client was “willing to do anything to put things right.”

Ivor Sweeney said he went to Whitegate to exercise his right to democratic protest.

He said he was there solely as a citizen and decided to get on top of the tanker as “negotiations had broken down with the Government in Dublin”.

He said that he felt “threatened” as the Public Order Unit had arrived.

“I didn’t think violence being put on us was necessary. I didn’t want my friends and neighbours injured.”

Judge Roberts said that given nobody stopped Sweeney from leaving he couldn’t categorise himself as being threatened. Mr Sweeney said that it “looked inevitable” that there was going to be violence.

“I wanted to stop that and put an end to the confrontation,”

The Judge asked Sweeney if he had any concept of private property, and he acknowledged that he had.

Mr Sweeney said that in hindsight his actions were a mistake. The Judge said that Sweeney was a rational adult who knew the consequences of his actions.

Judge Roberts said that Sweeney could have shown a “good example” or “leadership” on the day by leaving the protest.

“I do think that he (Sweeney) is remorseful to some extent. He is aware of the consequences now.”

Judge Roberts imposed a two-month prison sentence which he suspended for a period of 18 months. He fined Mr Sweeney €1,500.