A WOMAN whose verbal abuse of a family on a day out was described as having a ‘racial element’ by a district court judge was jailed for 30 days.

Judge Monika Leech made the comment when dealing with the case of Rosemary Howick at Bandon District Court.

Ms Howick (48) of Castleview, Kilbrittain pleaded not guilty to a charge of using threatening, abusive or insulting behaviour aggravated by hatred.

Mustafa Alpar Ilkay told the court that he was visiting Kinsale on September 25th last with his wife and his young son and daughter.

‘We had a lovely day and we brought ice-cream and went to find a place to sit down. We found a bench and saw the accused who had earphones on and was yelling and seemed angry,’ he said.

‘She was looking at us and yelling and said something about immigrants should leave the country. My son was afraid and I told him that maybe she was having a bad day.’

He said she ‘went crazy’ when he signalled to her to quieten down and she told him he had no right to do that.

‘I heard some bad words and I took my son and we left.’

He said he felt ashamed as other people were looking at him in the park.

‘I was really shocked. We have been living here two and half years. My son was very upset and I told him that no one can hurt us.’

Defence solicitor Plunkett Taaffe said his client had earphones on and was rehearsing a break-up conversation with a former boyfriend.

‘She was addressing her anger towards the phone and not addressing you. She wishes to apologise to you and she did not direct her abuse to you,’ said Mr Taaffe, who said Mr Ilkay may have misinterpreted what she said.

Gda Noelle O’Dwyer attended the scene where she said Ms Howick ‘said she was only speaking loudly on the phone’.

She called to Ms Howick’s home at a later date to take a statement but she declined and said to post the summons to her.

Ms Howick told Judge Leech that she was recording a message on her phone and she wanted to get it right. She admitted she was angry and it was being directed at her ex-boyfriend.

She denied making references to immigrants and said she was telling her ex to get out of the country as she heard he was back in Ireland.

‘I regret not making the recording at home and I regret causing them upset and I absolutely apologise to them,’ said Ms Howick.

Judge Leech noted that this offence is a step up from the public order charge of using or engaging in threatening, abusive words or behaviour.

She said Ms Howick’s evidence was ‘self-serving and unreliable’ and she was satisfied there was a ‘racial element’ to her offending.

The court heard that she has 43 previous convictions including 11 for using or engaging in threatening, abusive words or behaviour under the Public Order Act.

Mr Taaffe said his client is bi-polar and and has anger management issues.

‘It’s her anger that gets her into trouble. She had apologised for her behaviour,’ he said.

Judge Leech sentenced Ms Howick to 60 days in prison, suspending half of it for a period of 18 months in her own bond of €200.

Judge Leech also directed her to stay out of Kinsale park for the duration of the bond.