Irish plasterer urinated on French loaves in protest at Henry handball

connemara man wrote: »

Could you imagine the damage he could of done if he went after the french fries instead somewhere else

dclane wrote: »

A drunken unemployed plasterer who was found urinating on the French
loaves section of a large supermarket in protest at the infamous
handball incident in the France vs Ireland World Cup qualifier, was
this week given a suspended sentence, fined and bound over to keep the
peace.

Frances "Smokie" Larkin, The Meadows, Killareagh, Co Roscommon pleaded
guilty to the incident at Maher's ValueStore supermarket, Killareagh,
one week after the match which Ireland controversially drew after the
French goal was deemed to have scored despite a blatant handball by
French striker Thierry Henry.

Staff found the 46-year-old urinating on the Cuisine de France section
of the bread shelves in Maher's, shouting "this will teach ye, ye
cheating French bastards," before he was taken away by local gardai.

Gardai Anthony Flanagan told the court that he had been called to the
store at 11.15 on the morning of November 25.

"When I reached the shop, I was informed that Mr Larkin was causing a
disturbance in the bread section and when I got there, he was
urinating on the French bread section and stamping on a loaf. I later
ascertained that the loaves were brioches, a sort of French bread.

"When he saw me, he tried to run away but I apprehended him and
grabbed him by the arm. He said 'that's for Thierry Henry, guard. If
you have any pride in your country, you'll let me go.

"Then he said 'that'll teach them, the cheating French bastards."

Addressing the court, Angela Roche, solicitor for the defendant said
that her client had a problem with drink and that normally he was a
placcid character.

"It is when he mixes alcohol with his passion for sport that he gets
himself into situations like this.

She said that Mr Larkin had become quite agitated with the result of
the World Cup match and had worn an "I shot Thierry Henry" t-shirt
that was made up in a local t-shirt shop," she said.

In evidence, Mr Larkin apologised to Mahers store and said that he
"had no axe to grind with them," but that they had been caught up in
what he said was "friendly fire."

He said that he wanted to make a grand gesture to show that the Irish
were not going to take the controversial incident lying down.

"The French loaf is the symbol of France and so by doing what I did, I
was standing up for Irish pride," he said.

Mr Larkin had a previous conviction for setting fire to a tennis club
shed in his teens, an incident from which he had earned the nickname
Smokie.

In his summary, Judge Fergus O'Halloran said that what Mr Larkin had
done was despicable and was also a threat to public hygiene.

"You did this without any thought to the consequences for the
unfortunate shoppers who had to buy that bread.

"If it was in my power to recommend that you seek help for your
alcohol addiction, I would do so and also suggest that you take some
responsibility for your temper and inappropriate behaviour.

"We cannot have louts like yourself with half-baked ideas about
national pride carrying out acts like this," he said, before
sentencing Larkin to six months in jail, suspended on condition he
doesn't breach the peace for one year, fining him ñ500 and ordering
him to pay ñ1,000 to Michael Maher for the clean up of the bread shelf
areas.

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