No 'religious aspect' to vandalism at Offaly church by Pakistani student

THERE was no religious aspect to an attack by a Pakistani man on a church in Birr where he broke windows because he could not get into it, Tullamore Circuit Court heard.

Atiq Zarghoonsha (25), a native of Pakistan who had an address at MacRegol Close, Scurragh, Birr, was in the Circuit Court appealing against a conviction imposed by the District Court.

Sandra Mahon, Offaly state solicitor, outlined that the conviction had been imposed after evidence was given that at 7pm on Sunday, March 1, 2025 gardai received a report that a male dressed in “Muslim attire” was breaking windows at St Brendan's Church of Ireland, Oxmantown Mall, Birr.

The man was observed and stopped by gardai and witnesses then identified him at the scene to the guards.

Mr Zarghoonsha was arrested and made admissions to causing damage to the church windows. He said he wanted to go into the church, “read their Bible and have a cigarette inside”.

READ NEXT: Offaly teenagers enjoy walk to the top of Croghan Hill

He told gardai he got angry when the church was closed and decided to break the windows. The cost of the damage was €1,435 and €1,540 in compensation was paid.

Ms Mahon said the man had no previous convictions.

David Nugent, BL, for the appellant, said the offence resulted from his client having a nervous breakdown and psychosis.

From Pakistan, he was studying medicine and had been in Georgia and then had a breakdown on his return to Ireland.

Mr Nugent said the conviction will affect Mr Zarghoonsha's career in medicine and he was hoping the court could leave him without a conviction.

He intended going back to Pakistan and the act “was completely out of character”.

Mr Zarghoonsha told the court himself that he had been going through a psychotic episode and got treatment for it in Pakistan.

Judge Keenan Johnson told the man that according to a probation report the psychosis was consequent to his use of cannabis and illicit substances in Georgia.

The man said the psychosis happened because of lack of sleep, according to a doctor. He had not slept for seven days and when he came back to Ireland he was completely detached from reality, having been “lost” in the airport in Istanbul.

He said his mental health was much better now.

Judge Johnson said it was an unusual case with an unusual set of circumstances. He said that looking at it “from the outside without looking at the facts”, it might be said that there was a religious aspect to it but there was not.

“The situation is that the accused suffered a psychotic episode,” he said.

The judge said it was extremely distressing for members of the Church of Ireland in Birr to see their church vandalised but the accused had paid back the cost.

He noted that the probation report indicated he was at a low risk of reoffending. He had left Pakistan at 12 because of war.

He said that if €1,500 was paid to the Select Vestry of the Church of Ireland by June 4 next he would allow the appeal.