A “slightly rotund” man has been found guilty of a “drive-by” insult of a garda and ordered to pay €250 to the poor-box.

The Irish Examiner reports that there was an outburst of laughter at Kilrush District Court, when the solicitor for 25-year old Flannan Burke said his client verbally abused Garda Gerard Griffin, after taking offence at being seen as: "A big man on a small bike".

Solicitor Pat Moylan said in evidence that he believed offence was intended because Burke is “slightly rotund” and was cycling on a child's BMX bike.

Mr Moylan told the court: “The bike was quite small. Mr Burke is slightly large and he believed that he was being offended — a big man on a small bike.”

Garda Griffin told the court that when he saw Burke on Wilson Rd last April, he “said ‘hello’ to him and he [Burke] called me a wanker”.

Upon hearing the evidence, the judge called Burke into the witness stand to give his account of what happened.

Gordon Deegan reports that Burke said: “I was on a small bike and I saw the gardaí on the right-hand side. Garda Griffin was sitting inside the car. He pointed, he laughed, and he shouted out to me and said, “Burke, aren’t you big for that small bike?’ Now that was an insult to me, maybe he didn’t think it was an insult, but it was.

“To be honest, I insulted him back. He said that I called him something but I actually called him something else to be honest.”

Judge Durcan asked Burke to reveal what he really said, to which he replied: “I called him the ‘C’ word.”

Garda Griffin added that Burke has apologised to him over the incident “umpteen times” since.

Judge Durcan said he would strike out the matter if Burke gave €250 to the poor box.