Drunken man shouted abuse at nuns before going on the rampage at monastery

A drunken man went on the rampage at a monastery where he shouted abuse at nuns and pushed over a Mother Teresa statue, a court heard. The unusual incident landed Kevin James McGovern, of Glasgow, Scotland, in the dock at Glasgow Sheriff Court. The court heard that McGovern, 28, entered the grounds of Carmelite Monastery in Kirkintilloch, Glasgow, at around 6.45pm on April 17. The Procurator Fiscal depute said that the monastery houses nuns and has a secure entry system. McGovern was heavily intoxicated, and was shouting and swearing within the grounds of the monastery.

He was approached by two of the nuns who told him he was on private property and asked him to leave. McGovern began shouting and swearing at both the nuns saying, “She’s a f*cking fat cow.” He also told the nuns to "shut their f*cking mouths", and both of the women returned inside. They watched McGovern approach a Mother Teresa statue, push it over and it fell to the ground. He then lay down in the grass and fell asleep. He woke up some time later and attempted to leave but he could not open the gates. The nuns then approached McGovern again and this time he began brandishing pieces of a broken mop handle towards them in a threatening manner. He also banged the handle off a bathroom window in the monastery.



The police arrived and approached McGovern, who they described as extremely intoxicated. He was told by the officers several times to calm down but he failed to comply and was arrested. He moved his arms around to prevent handcuffs being put on then made off. One of the officers managed to get him to the ground where he thrashed around and continued to resist arrest. He kicked the policeman on the head and scratched him on the face, forcing the officer to activate his emergency assistance button. Additional officers arrived, and McGovern was handcuffed and taken to Helen Street Police Station. On his arrival at Helen Street Police Station, his aggression continued. He refused to walk into the charge bar area of the office and was carried.

He called the officers “Poofs”. McGovern’s defence agent told the court: “He has the highest remorse and greatest regret for his actions.” He described his client’s behaviour as a “series of bizarre actions.” He said: “Mr McGovern was observed obviously drunk and arguing with himself. He is then described to be arguing with trees.” The court heard McGovern is a practising Catholic and planned to apologise personally to the nuns. His defence agent also said his client planned to offer his services to the nuns to carry out unpaid work. McGovern was told he will be placed under supervision for 12 months. He was also told he will have to complete 200 hours of unpaid work within the community. The work must be completed within four months. His sentence was passed as a direct alternative to custody.