A man who 'cannot walk past a public house' has been banned from seeing his nan for a seventh time.
A restraining order was placed on Wayne O’Keefe after he assaulted his 90-year-old nan.
Liverpool Crown Court heard on Thursday, February 10, that shortly before last Christmas 49-year-old O’Keefe was taken to hospital suffering from cold and the hospital contacted his nan to see if he could go there as he had nowhere else to go.
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She explained because of the court order she could not do that, but he later rang her and when he assured her he was sober she agreed he could stay with her in Huyton.
But at about 4.30am on December 21 she rang 999 “in some distress and fear” and the operator could hear O’Keefe in the background shouting aggressively.
Peter Hussey, prosecuting, said: "She said she needed help because she did not know what he was going to do.
“Officers arrived and found him under the influence of alcohol and his mood was changing from one minute to the next and on occasions showed signs of aggression and he was arrested.”
In a statement his nan said: “When he’s sober he’s a lovely lad and does chores around the house.”
But she said that when he has been drinking he changed and she would feel vulnerable and anxious. He had turned up at her home in Winstone Road, Dovecot, drunk which was why she rang the police.
O'Keefe was arrested and charged at the house and has remained in custody for two months.
This was the seventh time O'Keefe, who is in the grip of alcoholism which is blighting his life, had breached his restraining order
His case had been adjourned for a pre-sentence report to consider his options but the court heard the probation service was not recommending any other course than jail because of the seriousness of the persistent breaches.
The judge told the 49-year-old he had no option but to jail him and imposed a five month sentence. As he has been on remand for almost two months he is due for release within a few weeks. He had pleaded guilty to breaching the order.
Judge David Aubrey, QC, said to O’Keefe, who appeared from prison via video link: “Yours is a desperately sad case isn’t it?”
O’Keefe replied: “It’s my own fault.”
The judge responded: “It is your fault but it is desperately sad when in truth you are suffering from an illness and that illness is alcoholism because you cannot do anything other than walk into a public house or no doubt an off-licence rather than pass by on the other side.”
He said that O’Keefe had been “at the nadir of your life” when just before Christmas his 90-year-old grandmother gave him a roof over his head even though he knew he should not be there.
The Judge said: “It is a desperate cycle of you breaching the restraining order and then immediate imprisonment.”
He warned him that unless he stops drinking, his grandmother will outlive him and pointed out that he needs to do something about his drinking or he will keep causing distress to his grandmother and other family members.
Judge Aubrey said: “I implore you - you are an intelligent man - but not withstanding your intelligent you have been gripped by alcoholism and it is all consuming in your life at the moment and I hope you can find your way whereby it will not be.
“I wish you well on your journey in that regard because you are aware of the issues that will confront you on your release. If the probation service cannot break the cycle you can, please give it a real go."
Hussey, prosecuting, had told the court that the defendant had been convicted of battery some years ago after punching his grandmother to the head and arm and a restraining order was imposed to run until March this year.
Charles Lander, defending, said O’Keefe had studied at York University and did a Master’s degree. He studied employment law and had worked as an advisor and guidance officer.
He said it was tragic as whenever he came out of prison “he cannot walk past a public house.” Mr Lander said the defendant would drink a bottle of whisky a day and “was clearly someone who needs help.”
Mr Lander said that he had been hoping an alcohol treatment requirement would have been recommended by the probation service but they believed the temptation of going into licensed premises would be too much for him.
Judge Aubrey extended the restraining order for another year.
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