Old Man Arrested For Pointing His Sky Remote Into People’s Houses And Turning On Babestation
Meet the man who caused chaos in the quiet suburb of Onslow Gardens in Cork City. Fergal Barrett, an 82-year-old at the time, was eventually identified as the prankster responsible for months of mayhem.
Residents of the small suburb were baffled when their televisions inexplicably switched over to BabeStation, a semi-pornographic channel, with no explanation.
For months, nobody could figure out the cause—until Barrett was caught in the act, hiding in the bushes outside his neighbor Paddy O’Bradley’s house, universal remote in hand, giggling to himself. Police, who had begun staking out the area after O’Bradley reported repeated incidents, finally uncovered the truth.
The strange vendetta stemmed from a fishing competition more than 60 years prior. O’Bradley had won the competition, catching a large sea trout, and in the process, had won the affections of Barrett’s girlfriend, Dolores.
Barrett, it seems, had never let go of the grudge. Hoping to disrupt O’Bradley’s evenings, he took to changing the TV channel while O’Bradley and his wife were trying to enjoy .The Late Late Show.
“I might have known it was that gobshite Barrett,” O’Bradley commented after the truth was revealed. “He’s been sulking ever since I caught that 20-inch sea trout and won Dolores over.”
O’Bradley wasn’t the only one affected. Other residents believed they were targeted due to long-standing disputes, like not paying for drinks at the pub or missing a St. Patrick’s Day event. Barrett’s universal remote worked on over 50 Sky systems in the area, all of which had been purchased from the same local store, where they had once been demonstration models controlled by a single remote.
Barrett was eventually taken into custody, charged with being a public nuisance. Though he remained silent about the incidents, his mischief left a lasting mark on the neighborhood, where residents could finally enjoy their TV in peace after months of unexpected interruptions.
