Drunk man blamed Covid vaccine for his troubles

Florin Fitzpatrick (47), c/o Bunk Hostel, Kiltartan House, Forster Street, Galway, was found by Gardaí lying in a highly intoxicated state in Eyre Square at 11pm on July 5.

He later claimed he received a Covid vaccine earlier that day and it must have reacted badly with alcohol he consumed later, causing him to collapse.

He pleaded guilty before Galway District Court this week to being intoxicated in public at the time.

Sergeant Christy Browne, prosecuting, said Fitzpatrick was so intoxicated he could not stand up unaided and there was a very strong small of alcohol from his breath when Gardai approached him.

He said the accused had three previous convictions, including one for withholding information from Gardaí, in relation to the John Kenny murder investigation in Oughterard in 2011 – for which he received a five-year prison sentence in 2012 – and two other convictions for being drunk in public and for breaching the peace in 2019.

Defence solicitor, Ciana Mulchrone, said her client had a history of psychiatric illness due to issues in his past and he was currently under the care of the psychiatric services in Galway.

She said he told her he had collapsed in Eyre Square due to getting the vaccine earlier that day and then taking alcohol.  She said that perhaps the ‘concoction’ of both the vaccine and the alcohol did have an effect on her client.

Judge John King asked what Fitzpatrick’s means were, in order to pay a fine.

Ms Mulchrone said he was in receipt of disability payments.

Judge King convicted and fined him €200, giving him four months to pay.