Carrickmacross Knife Incident: Man Jailed for 5 Months
By ArdeePost Reporter
Five-Month Jail Term for Man Who Brandished Knife in Carrickmacross Town Centre
A 28-year-old man has been sentenced to five months in prison after he was found brandishing a knife in broad daylight at passing traffic on the Main Street of Carrickmacross. The incident, which occurred on Sunday, April 27th, 2025, sparked concern and unrest in the town after mobile phone footage of the event circulated widely on social media.
David Covaciu, with an address at Ardee Road, Magheross, Carrickmacross, pleaded guilty at Monaghan District Court to offences under the Firearms and Offensive Weapons Act, 1990, and to a separate charge of using abusive and threatening language under the Public Order Act.
The court heard that Gardaí responded swiftly to multiple reports of a man wielding a knife in the town centre. Upon arrest, Covaciu was found in possession of a 4-inch silver flick-knife, which he had been using in a threatening manner toward vehicles and pedestrians on Main Street. Inspector Damien Martin described the behaviour as aggressive and distressing, especially given the time and location—early evening on a busy Sunday.
Covaciu, a Romanian national, has been in custody since his arrest in April. He has six prior convictions, including one for dangerous driving relating to a hit-and-run incident. In addition to the knife offence, he also appeared in court on a separate matter concerning a speeding offence on the N2 in Co. Monaghan on November 7th, 2024. He was recorded driving at 125 km/h in a 100 km/h zone and was fined €400.
Defence solicitor Roisin Courtney told the court that her client has lived in Ireland since 2017 and is currently unemployed. He is a father of two children who reside in Romania. Ms Courtney said Covaciu claimed he was carrying the knife because he felt in danger at the time, though she did not elaborate on the nature of the threat.
Judge Raymond Finnegan rejected this justification, stating, “I don’t think he was in any danger from the family in the car that he was brandishing the knife at.” He described the incident as “terrifying” and said it had brought significant fear to the people of Carrickmacross.
The court also considered previous offences committed by Covaciu, including an incident on March 15th at a service station in Castleblayney, where he was stopped while driving under the influence of both alcohol and cannabis. He was found to have no insurance, NCT, or valid tax disc at the time. A reading showed an alcohol level of 107mg, and he had a previous dangerous driving conviction from 2019. He was subsequently disqualified from driving for two years, paid €500 in fines, and received an additional five-month disqualification under Section 56.
In handing down the sentence, Judge Finnegan said the knife incident posed a serious threat to public safety and demanded a custodial response. Covaciu was sentenced to five months in prison and remains disqualified from driving.