When not to use your imagination
The famous purple dinosaur, Barney, could be considered an advocate of the use of one’s imagination, however there are times when such use of the imagination can get one into serious trouble, as one former Limerick student found out in court this week.
The student community at UL were plunged into an unwanted sense of fear, and Gardai launched a nationwide investigation after Michael Stanley, (20) Inis Staimer, Lisnagry, claimed he had been kidnapped by two men with knives and wearing Barney the Dinosaur masks in the car park of the University of Limerick. He also claimed that they ordered him to drive to Dublin. He made his claim after presenting himself to Finglas Garda Station in West Dublin.
At the District Court this week, Stanley admitted that the claims, made in March of 2007, were all made up.
The court had heard that he had failed exams at UL the previous year but never told his family. He would leave home in the morning and drive around aimlessly.
John Herbert SC representing Stanley, told the court that his client had been adopted from an orphanage in Romainia when he was three years old, and that he suffered from post institutional autism, which had caused him trouble throughout his life.
Stanley apologised to the court also “I am aware of the panic I caused and I can only apologise for what I done.” he said.
Gardai discovered the claims were untrue after they recovered CCTV footage of Stanley in Mountrath, County Laois, which showed that Stanley was alone in his car.
Describing the incident as being an “aberration measuring 10 on the Richter scale” he adjourned the case until November, He told Stanley that if he did not get into further trouble between now and then he would consider not imposing a custodial sentence.